Look Who's Stalking
by YouHaveStolenMyHeart
Summary: Hi, I'm Derek... I guess I'm your neighbor. Set in season 4, Knock Knock, who's there? A psycho. He has his eye on someone, but someone has their eye on him, how far will they go? Who will stand in their way? CHAPTER 15 UP
1. Why Didn't You Say Anything?

**A/N This is a new story I randomly started, not sure where it's going but I'm working on a chapter two which will involve Derek more, and obviously some fun Brachel friendship Reviews welcome**

"Hi... I'm Derek. I guess I'm your neighbor."

He was kind of cute. Muscly, blonde, tanned.

Plus she hadn't had a guy in a really long time, so she figured: why the hell not?

He was smiling at her, always a good sign. And she did look especially cute in the red figure-hugging halter top she borrowed from Brooke (and didn't intent to give back going on his reaction).

She gave him a wink and a smile.

"I'm Rachel, the girl next door." With that she sauntered off, her hands in her pockets and a seductive smile playing at her lips. She opened the door to the house she shared with Brooke without difficulty (Brooke never locked the door, she was trusting) and walked inside.

Leave him wanting more.

"Checked out new boy?" She asked to her room mate who was sitting on the sofa with a sombre expression on her face. She didn't say a word.

"Earth to slut? He's a hottie!" Again, Brooke made no attempt to contribute to the conversation. Rachel sat down beside her and raised her eyebrows.

"Brooke, what's wrong?" She asked outright. She figured something was up: Brooke was never this quiet.

"I think Lucas and I are over. Properly" She said mournfully, biting her lip. Rachel tilted her head.

"Well, let's face it, he wasn't that cute. Plus now Peyton's all over him he doesn't need to fight for you. Sorry. That didn't help. So. Derek. Hot."

Still Brooke didn't say a word. Rachel frowned.

"Seriously Brooke, he's just one guy! And he's with Peyton practically. Plus you seemed OK with it before." Rachel pointed out, tossing her fiery red hair.

Brooke sat up and glared at her friend. "I was being a good friend! Something you should think about doing, missy. Peyton needs him, and she's been really screwed up recently, I don't think she's over the shooting and Ellie yet, and I don't want to take away the one thing she has in her life just because I'm in love with him." Brooke retaliated then sighed.

"Oh crap. I'm gonna have to do something about it, aren't I?" She asked, though she already knew the answer. Rachel nodded.

"Sorry honey, but you can't just let this go. You can't just let him go. And with that insightful comment, I'm off to get some beauty sleep. Not like I need it."

--

"Get up sleepy head, we've got school and classes and stuff. Fun!" Rachel smiled brightly as Brooke turned over and mumbled something incoherent.

She distinctly heard the word "whore". Nice.

"Fine, well I'll just go on my own... maybe stop off at Lucas house, climb in to bed with him..." With that threat hanging over her head, Brooke sat up and growled.

"Peyton might beat you to it!" Was her barbed remark and she stomped into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her.

Rachel chuckled to herself: Brooke was always crabby first thing in the morning, and she was especially like this since the whole Lucas saga unfolded. She shrugged. She had more important issues to worry about, such as finding more out about the mysterious Derek.

She walked over to the mirror, applied a coat of lipgloss and tossed her red hair back. She was ready for some flirting. Ten minutes later Brooke was standing in front of that same mirror straightening her hair. She glanced over at Rachel who was standing behind her, pulling her already low-cut top further down so her impressive cleavage was more than visible.

"You're such a slut." Brooke commented distractedly, putting her hands on her hips and inspecting her reflection. Rachel nudged her playfully.

"Better than being fat." Brooke gasped and shoved her roommate before they both descended into a fit of laughter. Insulting each other was the foundations of their friendship and it never failed to amuse.

Finally they got in the car and drove to school. Brooke turned the ignition of her Blue Beetle and put some black oversized sunglasses on. Rachel turned the radio and began humming along.

"I wonder if Derek would sleep with me." She pondered out loud. Brooke glanced over at her.

"I dunno, Nathan knocked you back, maybe you're losing your looks." She replied helpfully. Rachel gave her a sideways glance.

"Don't be ridiculous. Guys always sleep with me. There's clearly something wrong with the Scott brothers. Maybe I should go for Dan instead. He's mature, cute, dominating..." Rachel began to laugh when she noticed Brooke's disgusted expression.

"Ew! He's like... old!" Rachel sat back in her seat, the last of her giggles subsiding and comfortable silence took over.

"So. What's the plan?" She piped up a few minutes later. Brooke blinked. "What plan?" She asked, and Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Duh. Your plan to get Lucas back." Brooke shrugged.

"I don't know. I'm not sure if I should do anything about it. I mean, if he's happy then I should let him go." Brooke said in a small voice.

"Excuse me? Is this Brooke Davis talking? You cannot back down from this. Lucas and you are meant to be. Everyone knows it." Rachel fired back, and Brooke smiled.

"You think so?" She asked, flattered that her friend was fighting her corner.

"Well, yeah. Have you seen him and Peyton? They look related! That's just wrong." As the girls pulled in to the school they spotted the two of them.

"Speak of the devil siblings..." Brooke muttered under her breath.

"This is going to be a long day."

--

"Favorite song with the word love in?" Lucas fired at Peyton as they walked down the hallway. She sighed.

"Dude, you totally know this. Lovesong by The Cure." Peyton supplied. They had been hanging out a lot recently, mainly playing games like this to pass the time, in between having in depth discussions about life and stuff.

"Thanks, Lucas." She said out of the blue, and Lucas turned to her.

"For what?" He asked, though he knew deep down: for taking the time to be there for her since the shooting crap, and Ellie's death. She needed someone and he had been there.

"All sorts of things." She said in a hollow voice.

"I know you really want to be with Brooke, and I know you being friends with me has stopped you. So it's pretty awesome that you've done this"She continued, and Lucas smiled.

"Brooke and I are made for each other. Right now it's gone off course, but everything will fall in to place. And right now I love hanging out with you, Peyton." He replied, and Peyton forced a smile.

She knew it, of course she did, but she couldn't help but wish he had denied his feelings for Brooke, who was walking towards them at that very moment, with that bitch Rachel by her side.

"Hey Lucas." Brooke muttered lightly as she walked by, and Lucas smiled slightly, but didn't reply. Peyton turned to him.

"Why didn't you say anything?" She asked, and Lucas looked lost for words.

"I guess... I guess I don't want her to come between us." He admitted, and Peyton smiled brightly without fully meaning to.

When Lucas said things like that to her it gave her the slight hope that the connection they shared back when their... thing had happened the first time round could be rekindled.

--

"Why didn't you say anything?" Rachel demanded as soon as her and Brooke had turned the corner, and Brooke folded her arms.

"I did! I sad 'hey Lucas'!" She defended herself, but this didn't deter Rachel.

"That barely counts! If you want to get that boy back then you should do something." She pointed out, then grinned.

"Look, can I borrow your car?" She asked, and Brooke bit her lip aprehensively.

"Why?" She asked, and Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Look, I'm not gonna do anything stupid!" Brooke looked at her friend.

"What, like driving into a river kind of stupid?" Was her sarcastic response, but she threw the keys at her anyway.

"Whatever, as long as you get it back by lunch. And don't do anything slutty in it."

With that she wandered off, maybe to find Bevin or Haley, but she kind of wanted to get her head straight about certain things like what to do with a problem called Lucas.

She sighed and glanced over her shoulder at Lucas and Peyton who were laughing about something at the other end of the hall.

It wasn't that she was that mad about the kiss, she just knew she couldn't be with him. She lied when she said she stopped missing him: it was more than that, she longed for him.

She just wasn't ready to get her heart broken again so she sacrificed her own happiness to save herself. And to save Peyton, not that she was appreciating it in any way.

But she had her own stuff going on, and she was dealing with it, so fair enough really.

Still, it cut her deep when she saw them together.


	2. You're Not My Type

She could feel someone staring at her from the porch.

She didn't mind though, she just tossed her hair back and smiled.

"Hi, Dylan." She said with a sly smile, when the blonde haired new boy appeared from his own porch.

"It's Derek." He corrected her smoothly, and she bit her lip.

"My mistake. Want to come inside?" She asked smoothly, and Derek looked thoughtful.

"No thanks, you aren't my type." With that slice of truth he sauntered off, leaving her lost for words.

That was a first.

--

"Hey, Brooke." Haley sat down on the bench next to her friend, who looked sad.

"Hi, Tutor Wife." She replied in her perkiest default, but it needed work, haley saw right through it.

"Is everything OK?" She asked gently, touching Brooke's arm. Brooke looked Haley directly in the eye.

"No, nothing is OK. Lucas treats me like I don't exist and..." She trailed off, not sure what else there was to say.

Haley gave her a reassuring smile.

"Hey, he'll sort things out, he just needs to make sure Peyton's gonna be alright." She said matter-of-factly.

Brooke looked down. "How is she?" She asked hesitantly, and Haley shrugged.

"She's gonna be alright, she's just leaning on Lucas at the moment. It's not like she's still into him, right?" Haley laughed at the prospect but stopped abruptly when she caught on to the look Brooke was giving her.

"No, Haley, she told me she has feelings for him." Brooke muttered angrily.

Haley looked bemused. "But she liked Pete... then Jake... what's going on in her head?" Haley wondered aloud.

"Don't get me started." Brooke replied in a low voice, as Peyton walked by. Thankfully she didn't notice them, or if she did, make any indications of it.

"So... you like Lucas, Peyton like Lucas... this feels like two years ago!" Haley joked, but Brooke didn't see the funny side.

"Yeah, well this time I won't let myself get hurt." She said determinedly, and Haley nodded in agreement.

But she looked at her friend out of the corner of the eye and knew Brooke wasn't as strong as she pretended.

--

Brooke stood beside her locker and leaned her head against the cool metal.

She had been lying to Haley. Hell, she had been lying to herself.

She would let herself get hurt.

If it meant Lucas would be hers.

Because she'd never felt more alive than when Lucas was with her.

He made her feel smart and funny.

And loved.

But now it was all over.

And _she _had instigated it!

She had caused the break up.

And now she was alone.

Miss Popular?

Not so much.

**A/N Sorry this is quite short I just realized I hadn't updated, next chapter will be longer and more detailed. I just wanted to write how Brooke was feeling. Thanks to 1treehillcharmed for the suggestion )**


	3. I Think He Needs To Talk To You

**So this is the third chapter, longer than last time, I'm trying not to make Leyton very likeable but I'm not sure if it's working, I'm going to have some Brucas soon so that should be interesting. Reviews welcome )**

There was a knock at the door and Brooke jumped up.

She couldn't deny she was quite the wuss when she was home alone, though she had no real reason to be.

Rachel was out at some random bar, probably underneath some random guy. Brooke smiled: Rachel could be so predictable when she hadn't had sex for at least a week.

She opened the door and smiled mildly at the tall stranger.

"Hi, I'm Derek." He grinned at her, and she smiled back pleasantly.

"Hi Derek, I'm Brooke." She replied.

So this was famous 'hottie' Rachel had been lusting after. He was quite cute: not really her type, but she could see where Rachel was coming from. She remembered he was still standing awkwardly on the porch.

"What can I do for you?" She asked, and Derek looked uncomfortable.

"I know I sound like a psycho but could I borrow a cup of sugar?" He asked, and Brooke laughed.

"Yeah that's fine, come on in." She held the door open for him and he stepped inside and followed her through to the kitchen.

She leaned up to grab the sugar from the top shelf of the cupboard and the bottom of her halter top rode up revealing her tanned stomach.

"Need anything else?" She asked, handing him the packet of sugar, and he smiled.

"Thanks, Brooke. I wouldn't mind a chat, if there's one going. Just, get to know the neighbors and all." He offered, and Brooke smiled.

"Sure, yeah our last neighbors were a stuffy old couple who called the police on us when we threw a party. At 9.00 did i mention?" The two laughed and sat down on the sofa.

"How long have you lived here?" He asked, leaning back comfortably.

"I've been here like a month because it's Rachel's house, she's lived here a bit longer. We've only just become friends, you see. At first we hated each other, because she tried to seduce Lucas." Brooke explained to a humored Derek.

"Who's Lucas?" He asked, and a sad smile appeared on Brooke's face.

"This guy I went out with. But it got all complicated and screwed up." She replied as if it was no big deal.

"That sucks, you deserve to be treated better, Brooke." He told her fiercely, and she shrugged.

"Well now he's with my ex best friend Peyton and I'm all alone." Brooke muttered in a light voice, and Derek shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Brooke, it sounds like you've had a crap time." He told her sincerely, and she smiled.

"Yeah, but I'll be fine. I always am." She said as if she believed it.

"So, have you met Rachel yet?" She asked, moving on to an easier topic of conversation. Derek nodded.

"Yeah, she seems pretty fun. So what made you friends?" he asked, and Brooke waved her arm.

"Oh, that's a long complicated story! The Naley wedding, hot uncle coop and a drunk Rachel equals a car driving off a bridge." She stated, and he looked bemused.

"I think I'm gonna like this town!"

-

Peyton sat on her bed, staring at the artwork on her wall. There was a new one to be added, but she didn't want to put it up because it was about Lucas and he was always in her room with her. She didn't want him to see it and get scared away, she wanted them to come together naturally. For now she kept it tucked in her sketchbook and whenever she lost hope about the two of them she would look at it and smile.

The boy in question strolled into the room.

"Oh my god!" He exclaimed, rushing towards her.

"What?" She asked frantically, getting caught up in the moment.

"Listen: silence. For the first time ever you have no music playing!" He laughed at his joke and lay down on her bed comfortably.

"Are you done laughing at my expense Lucas Eugene Scott?" She asked, shoving him and pulling a face.

"Yes, Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer, I think I am" He replied in a mocking tone.

"What's the latest on Brooke?" She asked, and Lucas sat up.

"I don't know, I need to do something, you know? Something to make her stop and realize she loves me too."

He wondered aloud, and Peyton stayed quiet.

"I never asked you..." He began, and she looked over at him.

"What happened with Jake?" He asked, and Peyton looked away.

"I just... I think he was getting back together with Nicki" She blurted, hating herself for lying so blatantly.

Lucas looked surprised. "Wow, did not see that one coming. Tough break, kid, it sucks when the person you want doesn't want you back." He said, looking her dead in the eye. She nodded wordlessly.

"Yeah, but I know one day the guy I love will figure out that we're made for each other." She mused aloud, and Lucas nodded.

"I hope so. You deserve happiness and I know how much Jake meant to you." He said, meaning every word. She smiled back. It was all she could do not to shout "It's you I want to be with, not Jake!"

--

Haley was clearing away the debris of the afternoon rush when Nathan walked in to the Cafe and gave her a sweet kiss on the cheek.

"Hey Hales, how's your day been?" He asked, perching himself at the bar as she maneuvered around him with two trays. He instantaneously stood up and grabbed one for her. She smiled up at him.

"It's been pretty busy, but good. I missed you though." She told him truthfully.

He grinned at her. "Good. Lucas or anyone been in today?" He asked, and she shook her head.

"He nipped in earlier to check on Karen but it was so busy I couldn't stop to say hey." She said distractedly, wiping the tabled down.

"That's a shame, I think he needs to talk to you." Nathan confessed, and Haley stopped what she was doing to look over at her husband.

"Has he said something?" She probed. Nathan shook his head.

"You're his best friend and I think he could do with a chat about everything." Nathan continued.

Haley nodded. "I'll pop round to Karen's later and see if I can get to the bottom of it. He's got Peyton though" She pointed out. Nathan rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, but you know what she's like: she always wants to talk about her problems, no one else's." Haley slapped his arm for that, too harsh. Though semi-true.

"She's been through a lot, you know that." She scolded. Nathan laughed and picked his basketball up off the floor.

"Whatever, I'll talk to him. You want to head home?" She offered, and Nathan grinned.

"Actually, I was thinking of going to the river court, but if you want me to stay with you, I will." Haley smiled.

"Thanks, but you can go, I'll see you back at the house later?" She asked, and he nodded.

The two kissed as he walked out the door, spinning the basketball round on his finger. Show off.

Haley smiled as she watched him leave: being in love was pretty special.

--

"Hey slut." Rachel smiled as she walked into the house. Brooke gave her a sarcastic look.

"Did you have some nice sex?" She asked sweetly.

"Yes, actually, I did." Rachel replied cooly, not rising to it. Brooke stomped over to her and narrowed her eyes.

"That's my top. And my jeans! Wow, you look quite conservative giving you normally go bar-hopping in your underwear." she pointed out, and Rachel shrugged.

"I still pulled though. But I spilled red wine down your top. You can have it back." Rachel confessed.

"Gee, thanks!" A sarcastic response. Rachel walked through into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

"Rachel, I have to say you seem very... un-drunk. You're normally a wreck when you get home. Did you actually drink?" Brooke asked, standing behind her with her ams folded. Rachel scowled.

"Yeah, the wine before the guy I hooked up with knocked it over me as an excuse for him to take it off!" Rachel replied, but she wasn't her usual flippant and insulting self.

"Is there something wrong?" Brooke asked, tilting her head to one side, her good-friend default kicking in.

Rachel gulped down the rest of the water and jumped up onto the counter, swinging her legs over the edge.

She was quiet for a moment. Brooke knew Rachel found it hard to let her guard down, so she waited patiently.

"Derek blew me off." She admitted, and Brooke raised her eyebrows.

"Seriously? Maybe he's gay..." She mused out loud, and Rachel grinned wickedly, back on form.

"Sometimes that doesn't stop them!" The two girls laughed.

As they continued talking, from outside on his porch Derek watched them, barely blinking, completely focussed on the two girls. He ignored the red-head, she was just a pretty slut, but Brooke... from what he'd seen and talked to her about, she was so much more...


	4. If Only She Could Find The Words

**So here's chapter 4... I think I got a tad carried away with the Rachel/Derek bit but let me know what you think. I promise next time there will definitely be some Brucas, I'm just leading up to it. Anyway, thanks for the reviews, hope this chapter satisfies. Might not get any more up for a few days as I have an exam on Monday but after that I promise I'll give it my full attention. **

It was a sunny day outside, as it often was in Tree Hill. Lucas sat up in bed and yawned.

The clock read 6:00-am and he wondered what had woken him up. He had an hour to kill before he normally got up to get ready for school, may well make the most of it.

He pulled on some jeans over his boxers and grabbed a clean white tee shirt. As he walked out the door he picked up his Ipod: an essential for a morning jog.

He picked up the pace and intended to go to the River Court but turned the corner and headed for Brooke and Rachel's house instead. He wasn't quite sure why. If he was going to get her back it certainly wouldn't be just after Six in the morning but he just felt like being around her.

As he jogged by, getting slightly out of breath, he noticed someone sitting on the porch at the house next door.

He slowed down and made eye contact with him: something about him looked strange but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Hi." He walked across the grass and smiled, trying to catch his breath. The other guy stared at him through unblinking eyes.

"Are you new around here?" He tried again, and this time he responded, holding out his hand.

"Hey, yeah, I'm Derek, moved in this week" Lucas shook it, noticing the firm grip and the look in his eye that wasn't threatening exactly but not welcoming either.

"I'm Lucas" He supplied, and Derek's reaction made him tense slightly. Derek stood tall and narrowed his eyes at Lucas: strange.

"Yeah? What's made you come for a jog? Pretty early." Derek made conversation, his voice guarded. Lucas shrugged and pulled the earbuds for his Ipod out of his ears.

"Just felt like it." He replied with a carefree grin. There was an awkward silence and Lucas felt the urge to leave.

"So... do you know Rachel and Brooke?" He asked, not wanting to part on bad terms. Derek nodded.

"Yeah, they seem sweet." He commented neutrally, and Lucas nodded in agreement.

"They are. Anyway, I've got to get back and go to school, later." He gave a slight wave as he jogged off, but he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something was wrong as the stare of Derek penetrated him long after he was out of his eye line.

--

"Hey Nate" Brooke smiled as she stepped into line besides him as they walked down the hallway together.

Nathan grinned. "Hi, Brooke." He replied.

"Where's Haley?" She enquired, and Nathan nodded in the direction of the Tutor Centre. "She's just sorting out tutory stuff..." he mumbled, and Brooke laughed out loud: Nathan found it impossible to pay attention to Haley when she talked about tutoring.

"Oh good, then I have you all to myself!" She grinned, and he raised his eyebrows. "How you doing?" She asked in a more serious tone, and he sighed.

"I'm OK. Still getting over the whole bridge near-death experience, but with Haley by my side I know I can get through it." He said confidently. Brooke smiled up at him.

"I'm really glad, Nate. For a while we thought we weren't gonna get the old you back." She admitted, showing her vulnerability when it came to her friends and how much they meant to her. Nathan shook his head.

"No way, you can't get rid of the great Nathan Royal Scott." He announced and Brooke nudged him playfully.

"You're real modest, you know that?" She joked, and the two friends shared a smile.

"How about you, Brooke? Life treating you good?" He asked. Brooke dragged a hand through her chocolate coloured hair and pulled a face.

"Could be better, could be worse. Living with Rachel's pretty cool. I was wrong about her: she's actually pretty great" She offered, and Nathan nodded.

"I could probably agree if she hadn't almost killed my uncle" He replied, and Brooke gave him a look.

"Nathan! She's been really good to me, she offered me a place to stay when we weren't exactly close friends, she's got a heart, you just have to look past the insults and slut wear to see it." Brooke reeled off, silencing Nathan.

"Well, as long as you're happy." He conceded with a small smile. "Talked to Lucas?" He added lightly, making Brooke slow down.

"No, but I'm not sure I have anything to say to him. He's with Peyton and-" Brooke began, her voice getting fasted until Nathan cut her off.

"He's not! They're friends, just like you and I, but I'm not secretly in love with you and slightly obsessed!" Nathan joked, forcing the tension out of his words. She couldn't help it, she laughed though the situation was pretty bad. With a sly smirk she winked at him.

"Sure you're not, that's what all the boys say." She replied in the same humorous manner, but they were both aware of the underlying message: Lucas and Brooke still loved each other.

"I'm serious Brooke, just talk to him, give him a chance. I know he can be a complete ass when he's not thinking straight but no one's perfect" He pointed out, making Brooke think.

"You're right. I should talk to him. And I will. I'm just not sure I can face him right now." She admitted with a wry smile, trying to put the front on that everything was fine-and-dandy but Nathan saw through it.

"Well, when you do I know you'll both do the right thing. Anyway, giving all this advice is giving me a headache, think I'm gonna head to the gym and get some practice in my free period. Later, Brooke. Talk to Lucas" he said sternly as he strode off, now focussed only on the game.

Brooke smiled to herself as she walked alone to her locker. Nathan was right: she really needed to clear the air with Lucas. If only she could find the words.

--

"Lucas, wait up!" Peyton shouted, speeding up so she could walk with him. He turned and gave her a smile.

"Hi, Peyton." He replied, and she grinned at him.

"You look particularly happy today, Sawyer." Lucas commented, and Peyton shrugged.

"Just... happy to be here with you I guess." She admitted shyly. He nodded.

"Yeah, I like having you in my life Peyton. You're one of my best friends." He told her, putting his arm around her shoulder and hugging her. She leaned in to him and couldn't help but take in that scent: lemons and washing up powder. She inhaled it deeply, but tried to pretend like she wasn't.

"I went for a jog this morning." Lucas told her, and she smiled politely but wondered why he was telling her this. Still, she was happy to listen to anything he had to say.

"And I met Brooke and Rachel's next door neighbor." Lucas told her steadily, and she looked up at him, confused.

"What, their neighbor was just roaming round outside your house?" She asked, grabbing entirely the wrong end of the stick. Lucas laughed and shook his head.

"No, I was going past their house anyway. He was strange..." He mumbled to himself more than Peyton. The two were silent for a second, but Peyton was just happy he still had his arm around her.

"I have some news." Lucas let her go and turned to her, a childlike grin playing at his lips. Peyton smiled and nodded for him to go on.

"I've thought of the best idea ever to get Brooke back." He told her. She tried to look happy for him, she really did, but when she felt the way she did it was difficult to force a smile when the boy she was crazy about wanted his old girlfriend back.

"That's...great, Lucas." She muttered, giving him the thumbs up. The thumbs up? What was she, eight? She thought to herself, but Lucas wasn't aware of all the thoughts running through her head, he had just one mindset: Brooke.

--

Rachel was standing in front of the mirror. It was a surprise her own reflection didn't get bored of how long she spent looking at herself. She was wearing her favorite low-rider jeans with the top of her red lacy boy pants on show, teamed with a short green wraparound top which showed off her cleavage and went well against her fiery red hair.

Today, she had made an executive decision to stay off school and get to know Derek. It wasn't normally in her interest to chase after a boy who had given her the brush off, but that's because no boy had ever given her the brush off before! She was determined to gain his attention, and usually an outfit like this did the trick.

She grabbed the bag of cookies she had bought from the supermarket that morning and tipped them onto a plate. She checked her hair in the mirror, grabbed the keys from the side and made her way over to her next-door neighbors house.

She tapped on the door, her freshly painted nails making a loud noise as they made contact with the glass. Derek came to the door and opened it slightly, barring her way.

"Can I help you?" He asked, and Rachel smiled sexily. "I'm sure you can." She muttered loudly, but he looked unimpressed.

"I made you some cookies. Derek. Mind if I come in?" She asked, maneuvering herself so before he knew it she was inside his hallway. He gave her a cool look and winked.

"Can't say you're not persistent. Come through, I'll make you a drink." He offered kindly, and she followed him happily, pleased her master-plan had worked so far.

"Nice house." She commented, taking in all the pictures on the wall of him and a girl. He stayed quiet as he poured her a glass of wine.

"You live in this big house on your own?" She asked, and he nodded. "My parent's split up and decided to buy me a house. Not sure what the logic was there but I'm not one to complain." He muttered, and Rachel let out a tinkle of a laugh.

"Don't worry, dysfunctional families are basically the norm in Tree Hill." She told him with a smile, taking a sip of the drink and walking through into the lounge. He followed her and they sat down on the cream sofa. She inched further towards him and tossed her hair back.

"I want to know about you Derek." She piped up, putting her drink down on the coffee table so she could give him her full attention.

"Not much to know. I grew up in California and my parents split up because my dad cheating on my mom with some random slut, now I'm here." He told her, putting no emotion into his words. Rachel put on her best 'sympathy' face.

"That must have been really difficult. Well, if you ever need to talk to anyone just come to our house, you're always welcome." She cooed with as much sincerity as she could muster, which seemed to work. Derek looked comfortable at least, and it always helped when they were relaxed.

"So tell me about Brooke." He blurted out, taking a sip of his cold bottle of beer. Rachel froze and sat up.

"Brooke?" She asked, not sure how to react. She had just played the 'i'm-a-really-nice-person-and-you-should-trust-me" card and he had completely repelled it! Brooke was right: he was definitely not into girls.

"Yeah, I know everything I need to know about you." He recovered and gave her a look up and down. She smiled: this was more like it.

"Like what?" She asked, moving in closer and putting her hand on his leg gently.

"Well, you're pretty, seductive, gorgeous" he whispered as he leaned in closer. Rachel pulled back and took another glug of her drink, determined not to play into his hands. Not yet anyway. If this was going to happen it was going to happen by her rules.

"It's true, I'm all those things. I'm also amazing in bed. But, back to Brooke..." She continued, and Derek smiled knowingly but carried on with the charade.

"She seems so closed off." He ventured, and rachel waved her hand and rolled her eyes.

"She's just had her heart broken a few too many times. All by the same boy might I add?" She blurted before she could stop herself. Derek's eyes widened and Rachel cursed under her breath.

"I should go. I shouldn't have said that. See you soon, Derek" She jumped up and walked out the door, giving him a wave as she went.

As soon as she closed the door behind her she sighed at her own idiocy: it was so not her place to talk about Brooke, and he seemed kind of fascinated by her. She got the impression she may have just added fuel to the fire.

And she was right.


	5. She Broke Up With Me, Remember?

Haley tapped on the black side door to Lucas's house. She had promised Nathan that she would talk to Lucas yesterday at the cafe but she had forgotten all about it. But everyone knows that when Haley James Scott makes a promise she keeps it.

The door opened an inch and Lucas smiled and opened it wider.

"Hey, Hales, how's it hanging?" He asked as Haley collapsed onto his bed as comfortable as any best friend should be.

"It's good thanks, how about you?" She asked, moving along so he could lie beside her.

"Alright, I guess. Got a lot on my mind..." He confessed thoughtfully, and Haley nodded for him to continue.

"Well I'm worried about my mom and the baby, and Peyton, and Brooke." He reeled the off, then chuckled.

"The three women in my life, all causing me stress!" He joked, and Haley laughed too.

"Don't I count as one of you're women?" She mock pouted, and Lucas raised his eyebrows.

"No, you're my best friend Hales, that's even better!" He put his arm round her shoulder and pulled her in for a hug.

"Really?" She asked, sarcasm dripping from her voice, and Lucas laughed.

"What about Brooke and Peyton? What are they?" Haley asked, trying to sound casual and nonchalant, but Lucas saw right through it.

"One of them sent you on a mission to find out what's going through my head?" He guessed, and Haley shrugged.

"You caught me! The girl in question was... Nathan." She deadpanned, and Lucas nudged her with a smile.

"Both Brooke and Peyton mean a lot to me." He told her unhelpfully. Haley gave him a look.

"It's true!" he argued, and Haley shook her head.

"Lucas, you can't honestly tell me you feel exactly the same way for both Peyton and Brooke?" She asked incredulously.

"Well, no, but Peyton's one of my closest friends." Lucas told her.

"And Brooke?" She asked. Lucas sighed.

"Brooke's not. I wish she was one of them. In fact, I wish she was more. But she broke up with me, remember? Over some stupid kiss! Peyton thought she was going to die, Haley, and Brooke took it completely out of context and blew it out of proportion. Then she broke up with me. I couldn't do anything!" Lucas ranted, and Haley was taken aback.

"So, nothing's going on with Peyton?" Haley checked, and Lucas shook his head.

"Nope, just friends, she likes Jake anyway." He muttered, and Haley sat up.

"She told you this?" Haley asked, confused. Lucas nodded.

"Yeah, he was getting back together with Nicki, so she came home." He explained, furthering Haley's confusion.

"Ok..." She agreed, wondering what the hell was going on.

"I'm going to tell Brooke how I feel." Lucas confessed after a moment of comfortable silence. Haley jumped up.

"Really? That's great, Luke!" Haley clapped her hands together then enveloped him in a hug.

Lucas grinned and hugged her back, he couldn't help but laugh at Haley's reaction.

"Right, I have to go, I've got plans with Nathan." Haley made her excuses and left, leaving Lucas lost in his Brooke-related thoughts.

-

Brooke came downstairs and saw Rachel standing over the stove, stirring a pan

"What are you doing?" She asking, coming up behind Rachel and making her jump.

Rachel dropped the contents of the pan on the floor out of shock, and whipped round to glare at her friend.

"I'm reciting Shakespeare sonnets whilst balancing a ball on my nose! What does it look like I'm doing?" Rachel replied with a roll of her eyes. Damn, that girl could even give Haley a run for her money when it came to sarcastic comebacks.

Brooke smirked at this, and leant down with a cloth to clear up the semi-cooked pasta.

"I was cooking a meal." Rachel replied sincerely, grabbing the bag of pasta from the side and starting the process again.

"Trying to seduce me, were you?" Brooke asked with a wink, and Rachel shot her a sunny smile.

"If I were to do that I'd just get you drunk" She replied sweetly. Brooke chuckled at this.

"Whatever, miss plastic-fantastic, are you going to tell me why we're actually having a meal or not?" Brooke asked, and Rachel shrugged.

"Just thought I'd bring some culture into our lives. Besides, I have to talk to you about something and I don't want to spring it on you." Rachel replied cooly, making Brooke turn round and stare at her.

"Can't you just tell me?" She suggested, and Rachel rolled her eyes.

"What, and miss the opportunity to piss you off by making you wait? Now get out of my sight for a while, I was doing fine before you came along and knocked the pasta over!" Rachel told her sternly, and Brooke tossed her hair back.

"Where do you want me to go, oh master?" She asked, folding her arms. Rachel shrugged.

"You could go and see Lucas..." She suggested, and Brooke narrowed her eyes.

"Or, I could not make a total fool of myself." Brooke pointed out, and Rachel sighed.

"You guys totally have to work it out." She muttered, stirring the pasta. Brooke growled and walked out the door.

As soon as it closed behind her, she felt the chill hit her and she pulled the blue shawl closer to her.

She sat down on the porch and closer her eyes. She didn't tell many people this but when she was alone often she just liked to sit amongst the nature and let life wash over her for a while. She wasn't like Peyton, she didn't find it easy to express how she felt so sometimes it was nice to gather her thoughts and beathe in some fresh air.

"Brooke." A voice from beside her made her flick her eyes open.

Derek was standing beside her, looking down at her and smiling slightly.

"Hey." He said as he sat down beside her. She smiled back wordlessly.

"You OK?" He asked, and Brooke nodded.

"Just, a lot on my mind." She confessed, and Derek gave her a sideways glance.

"Lucas?" He asked casually, and Brooke sighed.

"Is it that obvious?" She complained, and Derek laughed softly.

"Only to me. I saw him yesterday actually." He said and she looked at him.

"Yeah? Make a friend did you?" She asked, trying to pretend she wasn't interested in what he had to say.

"Not so much. He was kind of weird with me. Especially when I mentioned you." He continued, staring at her intently.

"Really?" Brooke sat up, immediately shaking off the uninterested pretense.

"I said you were sweet, and he said you can be. Then he talked about Peyton..." Derek trailed off when he saw Brooke looking upset.

"I'm sorry if I upset you, Brooke. I just thought you should know." He told her, and she gave him a watery smile.

"I guess on some level I knew there would always be a connection between then, but he hasn't even tried with me." She confessed, not looking him in the eye.

He took her hand and pulled her up gently.

"You know what you need?" He asked with a smile, and Brooke shook her head.

"A hug." he told her, and she stumbled into his embrace.

He sniffed her hair and a small smile appeared on his face, as he pulled her closer.

From behind the bush a figure appeared and took it all in.

It appeared Brooke had moved on.

-

"So what did he say next?" Rachel asked, as if she was talking about a soap-opera.

The two girls were sitting opposite each other, tucking into a slightly bland meal of pasta and tomato sauce - Rachel was never going to be good cook.

"He hugged me." Brooke said, twirling pasta round her fork. Rachel raised her eyebrows.

"Do you like him?" She asked incredulously, and Brooke glared at her.

"NO! Well, yes, as a friend but hello! I've just had my heart stamped on by Lucas Scott, he was just comforting me." Brooke defended herself and Rachel gave her a look.

"Ok, I know you have a thing for him, but I'm not competition, Rach. I'm crazy about Lucas, you know that." She continued in a softer tone.

"It's not that, Brooke, I'm just a bit wary of him." Rachel confessed, and a look of confusion flit across Brooke's face.

"How so?" She probed, and Rachel sighed.

"I went round to his house yesterday and he was creepy..." Rachel said, and Brooke rolled her eyes.

"You mean he wouldn't sleep with you!" Brooke contradicted with a smirk. Rachel grinned mischeviously.

"That too. But no, he kept talking about you." Rachel told her in a more serious tone.

"That's because we're friends." Brooke replied in a 'well, duh!' edge to her voice.

Rachel put her knife and fork together and sighed.

"Fine, whatever. But Brooke, if you end up getting hurt then I'm so not taking the blame." She said with a shrug, then began taking her empty plate through to the kitchen closely followed by her roommate.

"Thanks for that, Rachel, I'm glad I have your support" Brooke muttered sarcastically, and Rachel chuckled.

"That's what I'm here for, slut."

-

"Hey, Peyton." Lucas strolled into his friend's room, his hands in his pockets.

Peyton looked up from where she had been staring at her computer screen. She stood up and smiled slightly.

"Lucas, are you ok?" She asked, sitting down on her bed. Lucas shook his head.

"I just saw Brooke and Derek." Lucas told her. Peyton frowned.

"Derek?" She asked, confused.

"Yeah, Rachel and Brooke's neighbor. I was going to her house to tell her how I feel, but she was hugging him. I've lost her, Peyton." He said, and Peyton put her hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, maybe you two weren't right for each other." She suggested softly, and Lucas shrugged off her touch.

"No, I don't believe that. We were so right. I know it's my fault for kissing you, but even you know it meant nothing, right?" He asked, going off on a tangent.

Peyton stayed silent.

"Yeah... of course it didn't..." She said sound very sure, but Lucas didn't seem to notice.

"It's just so typical of her!" He muttered angrily, not really meaning what he was saying.

Again, Peyton didn't contribute.

"It's exactly like with Chris Keller: she gets scared of her own feelings and gives me a reason to stop loving her. But I can't, Peyton!" He told her, and she stroked his arm comfortingly.

"Lucas, things like this take time. You can't just fall out of love with someone. When they're all you think about, when every moment you spend with them you fall for them that bit more, when you wish so hard that they loved you back that you want to just cut the ties with them completely in the vain hope that it will save you, but then you see them again and everything falls into place." Peyton told him, looking him deeply in the eyes.

Without warning, she kissed him gently on the mouth.

**A/N Ooh cliffhanger ending... kinda! Sorry it took me so long to put up but I struggled a lot with this chapter. AND I KNOW still no actual Brucas interaction, i keep putting it off because I want to get it right. Reviews please, thanks for the support so far, especially from BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE. **


	6. I'm Not Gonna Stand For It

**So here it is, Chapter 6. I guess it's more of a filler but I wanted a conversation between Nathan and Haley, and of course the last paragraph is v important. I know I haven't had much Derek recently but all will come together in time and he will be much more central. **

**Thanks for the positive reviews, especially BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE, tripnfallbri and p0line, you guys rock**.

Rachel opened her wardrobe (well, technically Brooke's since her clothes were more flattering and it was always fun to see how annoyed she got) and scanned the contents. She plucked out a short summer dress and teamed them with her blue heels. She was about to get changed when Brooke walked into the room.

"I just realized," She began, as Rachel looked at her, urging her to continue.

"I'm going to have to see Pucas at school." She said solemnly, flashing Rachel a glare when she sniggered.

"Sorry, Brooke, but Pucas?" She asked, and Brooke rolled her eyes.

"Peyton and Lucas combined is Pucas." She explained patiently, and Rachel nodded.

"That clears it up." She replied sarcastically under her breath.

Brooke sat up and pouted. "This really isn't fair: he didn't even give me a chance, he didn't even fight for me!" She muttered angrily. She was too wrapped up in her own thought process that she didn't see Rachel with her head in her hands.

"He fought for you the last time, remember? And you still weren't happy." Rachel told her, combing her hair at the same time. Brooke flung herself back onto the bed.

"Aren't you supposed to be my friend?" She asked plaintively, and Rachel looked hurt.

"I am your friend, Brooke. I just want to know what the hell is going on. You were completely cut up that he was moving on but you did nothing about it. You didn't go and see him, you barely looked at him. To be completely honest, YOU should have fought for HIM." Rachel said determinedly, making Brooke pause for thought.

She stood up and nodded her head in an important manner. "You're right, Rachel. I should go and talk to him, clear the air I guess." She said, then walked out of the room, her head held high.

She paused and turned back. "Don't even think about wearing any of my clothes, slut." She said with a wave.

-

Lucas sat up in bed, aroused by a knocking at the door. He sat up and swung his legs over the side of his bed.

He groaned inwardly when he saw Peyton peer through the opening.

"Hey." She muttered with a smile, and Lucas tried to smile back. She walked across the room and sat down on his bed awkwardly.

"About last night..." She began with a cliche, and Lucas stared at her to continue.

"I'm sorry, I reacted badly." He apologized humbly, but this didn't seem to make Peyton feel any better.

Both their minds cast back to the night before.

-

_"Lucas, things like this take time. You can't just fall out of love with someone. When they're all you think about, when every moment you spend with them you fall for them that bit more, when you wish so hard that they loved you back that you want to just cut the ties with them completely in the vain hope that it will save you, but then you see them again and everything falls into place." Peyton told him, looking him deeply in the eyes._

_Without warning, she kissed him gently on the mouth._

_He pulled back after a moment, to see her anxious face. "Lucas..." She began with a smile. He shook his head._

_"Peyton, why did you just kiss me?" He asked outright, the shock of it playing havoc with his mind. She stepped towards him._

_"Because I'm in love with you. You got it wrong about Jake, it's always been you." She replied, visibly scared that she was showing her feelings when it was in her nature to do the exact opposite. _

_Lucas looked at her, really looked, and stayed silent. He couldn't deny he loved her: he had loved her from the moment he had laid eyes on her, but the feelings he had were just a crush, and they'd eventually disappeared when he saw something different in Brooke. From then onwards he knew his feelings for Peyton Sawyer would always fall under the friendship category because whenever he compared her to Brooke she didn't even come close: no one did. _

_"Say something." Peyton pleaded, her big green eyes full of tears._

_"Look, Peyton, I love you too. But how do you not understand my feelings for Brooke? I told you over and over again, she's the one for me." He didn't mean to raise his voice, he really didn't, he was just frustrated that the girl he saw as a sister admitted her love for him and the girl he was completely crazy about had slipped through his fingers. _

_"But you said you love me..." Peyton replied, her voice broken. Lucas nodded._

"_Yeah, Peyton, I do love you. You're like my best friend. You're funny and kind, you have an amazing music taste, but I know we're not right for each other. I'm sorry, Peyton." He said, and she nodded. _

_"Please leave." She said in a neutral tone. Lucas opened his mouth to say something, but instead he walked out of her bedroom door and out of her life._

-

"Yeah, you did" Peyton replied, as the two brought themselves back to the present day.

"I'm really sorry, Peyton." He muttered guiltily.

She nodded and whispered "Me too."

Lucas sighed. "You can say no, but do you want to walk to school with me?" He asked, trying to hand her an olive branch. Her smile brightened.

"That would be good." She tried to dial down how pleased she was that he asked.

"Cool, you could go downstairs and say hi to my mom, she asks after you. Just don't mention the baby or she'll be talking for hours!" He joked, and Peyton smiled before she left the room.

As she walked down the stairs she couldn't help but hold onto the spark of hope she felt: maybe it wasn't completely over between her and Lucas. He just needed some time to move on from Brooke. She nodded to no one but herself: they would end up together, she knew it.

-

The hallway was busy as usual, but Haley found who she was looking for almost immediately.

"Hey, Hales." Peyton smiled as Haley strode towards her. Haley didn't smile back.

"Can I talk to you?" She asked, and a flash of confusion and apprehension crossed Peyton's face. She nodded anyway and followed her friend into the tutor centre which was deserted.

"What's going on with Lucas?" She asked as soon as they were alone. Peyton looked taken aback.

"What has he told you?" She asked carefully, and Haley raised her eyebrows.

"Well, I know from Brooke that you like Lucas but according to Lucas it's Jake?" She asked impatiently. Peyton looked shamefaced.

"I don't want to talk to you about this." She said edgily, and Haley rolled her eyes.

"Look, you know you're a friend of mine and I want you to be happy but when it comes to hurting Brooke then I'm not going to stand for that." She said, and Peyton smiled slightly.

"I know that you and Brooke are good friends and I get that, but I'm hurting too." Peyton fought her corner, but Haley didn't sympathize. Instead she gave Peyton a cool look.

"Yeah, you are hurting, Peyton, but you are the one that hurt Brooke. You can never just let her be happy with Lucas, can you?" Haley asked.

Peyton didn't reply, she just looked lost and confused.

"Haley, how come you're acting like this?" She asked, trying to keep calm and friendly but not managing either very well.

"Because I know how Lucas feels about Brooke and you know too so I find it astonishing that you want to come between them. Again." Haley told her, making sure that she had put enough distaste into the word 'again' so Peyton understood the message.

"Bye, Haley" She said flatly, now fully informed and well aware of how her 'friend' felt about her.

-

"Well isn't it the biggest bitch in Tree Hill?" Someone said cattily, falling inline beside Brooke as the two made their way over to the lunch table.

"Actually, I'm the runner up. I could never compete with you." Brooke replied sweetly, nudging Rachel with her hip.

"Did you see Lucas?" Rachel asked. Brooke shook her head and took a swig of her water.

"I chickened out." She confessed, not looking her friend in the eye. Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Brooke, you can't keep shying away otherwise cry-me-a-river Sawyer will win!" She replied cruelly, but Brooke smirked none the less.

"Yeah, well it's not about winning." She said, dragging a hand through her hair.

After a moment of silence, Rachel changed the subject.

"Thought anymore about the Derek situation?" She asked mildly. Brooke looked at her pointedly.

"There is no situation. We're friends, that's all." She replied with a shrug.

"Fine, whatever, but he buries you under the patio then it's so not my fault." Rachel told her in a lighter tone. Brooke grinned.

"Thanks for that. Have you seen Lucas and/or Peyton?" She asked out of the corner of her mouth as if either of them would be listening to every word.

"Yeah, I saw them having rampant sex in the library." Rachel told her, and Brooke raised her eyebrows.

"Touche. But Rachel, seriously?" Brooke showed her vulnerable side and Rachel put her hand on her arm, comforting her.

"No, I haven't seen them. Besides, you don't know that they are actually together, talk to him." Rachel persisted, and Brooke nodded as the bell rang.

"Yeah, I will, I guess I should talk to Peyton too." The two girls sighed as their eyes met: neither conversations were going to be easy.

-

"Hey, Hales." Nathan sat down next to his wife on the quad and kissed her briefly on the lips. She smiled and ran a hand through her hair.

"What's wrong?" He asked, concerned. Haley shook her head.

"I had a fight with Peyton" She said quietly, and Nathan looked at her.

"What about?" He asked gently. Haley closed her eyes for a moment.

"I was really harsh. I mean, I know Brooke is my best friend but Peyton didn't deserve me piling on her too." Haley explained, looking annoyed.

Nathan stroked her arm affectionately. "Hey... I'm sure you had your reasons. What were they by the way?" he asked, and Haley sighed.

"She likes Lucas, more than just the kiss in the library, and she's hurt Brooke even more than before. And now Brooke thinks they are together which isn't true, though they did kiss last night..." Haley trailed off when she saw her husbands confused expression.

"Wow, so both Peyton and Brooke like Lucas? Majorly weird." He contributed, and his wife laughed slightly.

"Yeah, it is. I just... I'm really mad at myself, how I reacted. She didn't deserve that." she said sadly, and Nathan kissed her on the cheek.

"Haley, you had every right to stick up for your friend and Peyton is in the wrong here." He told her in a determined voice. His wife leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Do you have a problem with Peyton?" She asked out of curiosity and Nathan stiffened.

"No, I like her, she's a great girl she just seems to make some really bad choices and doesn't seem to mind who she hurts in the process." He explained, and Haley nodded.

"I need to apologize, don't I?" She asked, but she already knew the answer.

-

He was transfixed. He watched her walk along, her head held high.

He stood behind the tree, making sure no one could see him. He shouldn't have been at the school anyway, but anyone passing would just assume he was a student.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and spotted Lucas.

A sad smile appeared on her face, but she hid it well. She was good at that.

He watched her straighten up and walk off, her blonde curly hair gently moving in the wind.


	7. With Lucas All Bets Are Off

**Hey, sorry it took so long to get up but I couldn't be bothered to write for a while! This one's a bit shorter than usual and I know it's somewhat samey atm but I assure you things are about to heat up. Thanks for the reviews guys, chapter 8 should be up in the next few days.**

Rachel made her way down the stairs, running her fingers through her fiery red hair. She stopped abruptly at the bottom when she noticed someone sitting on the sofa.

"Derek?" She asked, though she didn't need clarification: it was obviously him. He looked up and smiled.

"Hi, Rach. Brooke let me in, she's gone to make some drinks." He explained lightly, looking her up and down.

Rachel sat down on the single chair and didn't say anything to Derek. He caught on to this immediately and turned towards her.

"Are you ok, Rachel?" He asked. She nodded.

"Yeah, how about you?" She replied limply, completely not her usual self. Before Derek could reply Brooke came through clutching two glasses.

"Rachel, hey. I thought you were out." Brooke said, placing the drinks onto the coffee table. "Want me to make you a drink? I made up a pitcher of lemonade."

"Yeah, thanks. I'll get one myself. Back in a minute, slut." Rachel replied, slipping back into her usual insults. Brooke stuck her tongue out and the two laughed.

"You were saying?" Brooke asked, taking a sip of her drink. A look of upset crossed Derek's face.

"Well my Dad called earlier. My mum's been in an accident." He said, choking on his words. Brooke gasped.

"Oh my god, Derek, is she ok?" She asked, putting a hand on his arm. He looked at the ground.

"I don't know, she's in hospital but they're saying she's got internal bleeding and some broken bones." He explained. Brooke looked pained as Rachel came swanning back into the room.

"What's up?" She asked, sitting back down and noticing the tension in the room.

Before either could answer there was a knock at the door. Rachel, still wanting to know what was going on, jumped up and walked through into the hallway.

"Lucas!" She exclaimed, confused as to what he was doing here. He smiled slightly.

"Hey, Rachel, Brooke home?" He asked, getting straight to the point. Rachel nodded.

"She's through here." Rachel opened the door wider to let him in.

They both walked in and witnessed Brooke and Derek deep in conversation. Brooke looked up to see who it was and her eyes lit up.

"Lucas!" She all but shouted, then tried to play down her reaction. "What are you doing here?" She asked neutrally. Lucas tried not to glare at Derek.

"Wondering if you wanted to come for a walk with me?" He asked icily. Brooke, despite her better judgement, nodded and a small smile appeared on her lips.

As she followed Lucas out the door, no one noticed Derek's look of annoyance as he was left with Rachel in the house.

-

Peyton was lying on her bed drawing in her sketchbook and soaking up the music which was pounding out of her speakers.

She was too involved in both tasks to notice that someone had entered her room. She looked up when they spoke.

"Peyton, hey..." Haley muttered with a half smile. It didn't get returned. Peyton sat up and stared stonily at her.

"Come to have another argument?" She asked with a sarcastic smile.

Haley took a step forward. "Actually, I wanted to apologize." She told her, looking at her feet.

Peyton stayed silent, allowing her to continue.

"I was too busy being Brooke's friend that it slipped my mind that you're also a great friend of mine, Peyton. Yes, what you did was wrong but you're still P. Sawyer! Besides, everyone makes mistakes. This coming from the girl who left her husband to go on tour, I can't exactly judge." Haley explained, and Peyton sat up.

"Thanks, Haley. I know that you were being loyal to Brooke it's just... I need someone on my side too, you know?" Peyton said sadly, and Haley nodded.

"Well you'll always have me. Just... look out for Brooke, she's not as strong as she pretends." Haley added as an afterthought.

"Well I have known the girl for ten years!" Peyton pointed out.

"Didn't stop you hurting her though, did it?" Haley said with a wry smile. Peyton glared at Haley.

"I thought you didn't come here for an argument." Peyton confronted her, heckles raised. Haley sighed.

"I didn't Peyton, I was just saying. You call her your best friend but still you put Lucas before her. Why?" She asked gently, sitting down on the bed.

There was no response for a while and Haley didn't think she was going to get an answer.

"I don't know. Brooke has been such a big part of my life for so many years and I care about her so much. But with Lucas... I guess... all bets are off. He makes me feel different and we have so much in common." Peyton tried her best to explain.

"Didn't you have those feelings for Jake, too?" Haley probed. Peyton nodded.

"Yeah, I did. But when I went back to see him, everything had changed. He had Jenny and a whole new life. He didn't need me any more. And he made me see that the feelings I thought I had for him were actually for Lucas." She said slowly and carefully, guarding her words and guarding her heart.

-

"How have you been?" Brooke asked nervously. The two of them walked awkwardly, making sure they weren't touching.

"Ok, I suppose. I've been looking after my mom a lot." He offered, and Brooke smiled.

"I'll have to nip round and see her sometime." She said, and a half smile ghosted over Lucas's lips.

"She'd like that." He said, looking at her from the corner of his eye.

"Peyton ok?" She asked lightly, and Lucas nodded.

"She's good. You should try to sort things out with her." He suggested casually and Brooke rolled her eyes.

"Sticking up for your girlfriend?" She muttered and Lucas stopped.

"Peyton and I aren't together." He said, and Brooke looked at him incredulously.

"Yes you are." She told him, and he shook his head.

"We're friends, Brooke, just like you and her." He said pointedly.

"Without kisses in the library." She muttered with a pout. Lucas laughed and turned to her.

"I missed you, Brooke." He told her straight. "Seems I missed my chance, though." He added thoughtfully.

"What?" She asked, visibly confused. He sighed.

"Derek. I saw the two of you together." He confessed.

"Yeah, we aren't together. He's my neighbor and my friend." She said, and he looked into her eyes.

"I really did miss you, Brooke." He repeated, his voice brimming with meaning.

"This doesn't change anything, Lucas." She whispered. "I broke up with you for a reason." She stood her ground, detemined not to be sucked in by those gorgeous eyes when they still had so much to talk out.

"Yeah I know, and I'm sorry Brooke. I'm sorry for kissing Peyton and I'm sorry for letting you down." He all but pleaded, the pain so clear it cut her deep.

"Lucas, don't do this." She protested as he moved closer towards her. He stopped and brushed her hair back from her face.

"I'm serious, Lucas." She stood her ground and pushed his gently away. He sighed.

"Brooke, you know how I feel about you!" He exclaimed, and Brooke smiled slightly.

"Yeah, and I get that. But I'm not ready for us to just forget about this. Can't we start over?" She asked vulnerably. He smiled.

"If that's what you want, then I'll agree. But you have to know I want so much more than that."

The two new friends shared a shy smile and walked home, this time not as awkward but both worried about the future of them as a couple.

-

"Look who it is." Rachel muttered as Brooke walked through the door ten minutes later.

"Hi, Rachel." Brooke smiled at her. Rachel stopped in her tracks and tilted her head.

"You ok, Brooke? You seem different. Kind of, happy." Rachel faltered. "Are you?" She asked.

"Yeah, things are sorted out with Lucas." She explained, and Rachel rolled her eyes.

"You're back together with him? That quick? Not that I mind, you know I think you guys are good together." Rachel said quickly, aware she may have put her foot in it.

Brooke smiled in good nature. "Nope, we're friends. No benefits." She clarified and Rachel nudged. her.

"Yet." She added, and Brooke raised her eyebrows. The two girls laughed.

Brooke followed Rachel through into the kitchen.

"What time did Derek go?" She asked. Rachel looked at the orange clock.

"Twenty minutes or so ago." She replied, putting the empty glasses in the dishwasher.

"Said he needed to go home and sort stuff out with his family." She continued.

"Oh yeah, I hope his mum's ok." Brooke said, the caring side of her kicking in naturally.

"Me too. Maybe that's why he's so messed up." Rachel muttered under her breath. Brooke looked at her sharply.

"Are you still thinking that?" She asked though she didn't really need to hear the answer.

"Let's see who's right when he finds out about your blossoming relationship with Lucas." She replied, a hint of triumph in her voice though she hadn't been proved right yet.

-

Peyton was still sitting on her bed cross-legged. Haley had left half an hour ago on good terms.

She turned the music down slightly and concentrated on her drawing. It was one she had begun earlier. It was of her and Brooke with Lucas in between them, but Brooke and Lucas were looking at each other. There was a wall between them and her. Underneath it was written "Look what you've done"

She put her pen down and sat still for a moment, sensing something but not able to put her finger on it. She felt like something wasn't right, like someone was watching her.

She was right.

Derek was sitting on her porch, listening to the sounds coming from her room.

He knew what he had to do.

But not yet.

All in good time.

It would be perfect.

It would be a lot of effort.

But it would be worth it.

_She_ would be worth it.


	8. Any Excuse For A Party!

**Hey guys, sorry I haven't updated in a couple of weeks, life has been crazy busy atm. Anyway, back to the story. I know last chapter ended on a bit of a confusing note, hopefully this chapter will make more sense and the next few chapters should clear all the confusion up. Reviews please, thanks again to BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE and other reviewers.**

**Also, I wrote a fic like aaaaages ago about Rachel, and it hasn't got any reviews. Personally I like this story better and it is just a oneshot, but if anyone wants to review it, that would be sweet because I'm thinking of extending it but I want to know how it will be received. Thanks. **

"Hey, it's the Brookie monster." Rachel muttered dryly as Brooke bounded downstairs.

"Rach, I'm going out for a bit." Brooke smiled sunnily and pulled on a cropped leather jacket.

Rachel stood up and made her way towards her, a quizzical expression on her face. "You look surprisingly cheerful since I just insulted you." She faltered. Brooke rolled her eyes.

"Ok, this whole insulting thing? Not exactly new to our friendship, Rachel! I'm used to it." She grinned again, checking her hair out in the mirror. Rachel looked deep in thought, then nodded.

"I take it you're going out to see Lucas. How's it going with you two?" She asked, budging Brooke over so she could have her rightful place in front of the mirror.

"Pretty well. I like having him as a friend." Brooke replied, her dimples set in place.

"Well eventually you're going to get together, right?" Rachel added. Brooke paused.

"I don't know. We work so well as friends. We always screw it up when we get together." Brooke shrugged and walked out of the door, closing it gently behind her.

Rachel swung her arms and walked into the living room. "So, Rachel, since your roommate has ditched you, what do you want to do today?" She asked aloud, sitting down on the sofa.

-

There was a gentle rap on the door and Lucas got up off his bed where he was on his laptop.

He opened the door and smiled when he saw who it was.

"Peyton, how's it going?" He asked, letting her into his room.

"I'm fine, I just felt a bit strange being in the house alone. I've been feeling kind of weird the last few days." She admitted, sitting down on his bed and toying with her necklace.

"Why's that?" He asked, shutting off his laptop and looking at her. She shrugged.

"I don't know, I feel like someone's watching me." She replied, her voice low.

"Well if you ever want to hang out here then you know you're welcome, Peyton." He offered with a smile. She smiled back, pleased that her confession had not put noticeable strain on their relationship. They were both silent for a moment.

"So, I think things have worked out with Brooke." He grinned brighter than before, and Peyton raised her eyebrows.

"Really? That's great, Lucas. I'm happy for you" She told him was almost complete sincerity.

"Thanks, Peyton." He replied quietly.

They sat comfortably unspoken for a while, Peyton thinking about her feelings for Lucas and Lucas about his feelings for Brooke.

Another tap on the door brought them back to the moment and Lucas got up.

"Wow, I'm popular!" He joked, and Peyton laughed half-heartedly.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" He asked as Brooke stood at his door. She smiled.

"I wondered if you wanted to go for a walk." She asked, tilting her head to one side.

From inside, Peyton stood up and turned to Lucas.

"I think I'd better be going anyway. Thanks, Lucas. I'll see you later." As she edged past Brooke she averted eye contact and Brooke sighed quietly.

"Peyton, wait." Brooke called without thinking.

Peyton spun round and finally looked her former best friend in the eye.

"Yes?" She asked curtly, standing up straight. Brooke cleared her throat.

"I just haven't had a chance to talk to you..." She continued, trailing off.

Lucas grabbed his jacket off his bed and headed out of the door quickly.

"I think this is girl talk, I'll take a rain check on the walk, Brooke. I'll see you ladies later." He said as he closed the door behind him.

The two girls stood facing each other, neither of them wanting to talk first.

"So..." Peyton began, the awkwardness echoing round the room. Brooke nodded gravely and bit her lip.

"Peyton, I think we need to sort this out." Brooke ventured at last.

"Me too. I don't see how this friendship can't survive Lucas." Peyton replied quietly.

"I take it you still have feelings for him?" Brooke asked carefully. Peyton looked away.

"I think it's a lot to just get rid of." She confessed truthfully, and Brooke smiled slightly.

"Do you think we can get past this?" She asked, looking Peyton in the eye. Peyton shrugged.

"We did last time..." Peyton muttered, dragging a hand through her blonde hair.

"Last time was entirely different, Peyton." Brooke interjected sharply, hating how her voice sounded. Peyton gave her a dirty look.

"Really, Brooke? Because last time I was in love with him and I am this time. Both times I've put my feelings on hold for you and still you accuse me of being a bad friend" She shot back, her voice raised. Brooke put her head in her hands.

"Yeah, last time you put your feelings on hold and had an ongoing relationship when he was my boyfriend." Brooke said flatly.

"Fine, whatever Brooke, you win. You've got his heart, you've got him and I'm left with nothing." Peyton replied, her voice hollow. Brooke folded her arms.

"God, you always use the victim spiel when things aren't going your way, don't you?" Brooke asked rhetorically. Peyton looked down at the floor.

"You said you wanted to sort this out, but it looks to me like its just another fight to add to our collection. So why are we trying? Let's just not be friends. We don't know each other anymore. Ironically our only tie right now is Lucas." Peyton said. Brooke didn't reply, she was shocked into silence.

Peyton shot Brooke one last lingering look before she walked out of the door.

Brooke was left standing in the middle of Lucas's room feeling completely alone.

So much for sorting things out.

-

Nathan and Haley sat eating their lunch.

"How's Karen?" Nathan asked, taking a bite of his sandwich.

Haley had been working extra hours at Karen's Cafe so her and Nathan hadn't spent time together in a while.

"She's doing well, her baby bump is getting bigger. Not that I can talk!" Haley joked, patting her own growing stomach. Nathan grinned.

"You look beautiful." He told her truthfully. Haley smiled and stroked his face.

"You know how much i love you?" She asked rhetorically and the two of them kissed.

"You'd better." He replied.

"Spoken to Lucas recently?" She asked after a pause. Nathan shook his head.

"I rarely see him to be honest, he's always at the river-court or studying." He said.

"Me too, I don't really see Brooke either. I feel like I spend all my time at the cafe. Not that I mind." Haley added. They paused for a moment, deep in thought.

"You know what we should do?" She asked excitedly. Her husband shook his head and indicated for her to continue.

"We should have a party!" Haley revealed, and Nathan blinked at her.

"Haley James Scott - party girl?" He asked, and she slapped him playfully.

"Yeah i know, I just thought it would get us all together and it would be pretty cool." She explained, taking the plates to the side and turning back round to face him.

"What do you think?" She prompted when he hadn't spoken in a while. He still looked bemused.

"I say hell yes! Any excuse for a party!" He grinned.

"Awesome." Haley clapped her hands together in a giddy fashion.

"Well since mom's away, why don't we have it at her house?" Nathan suggested. Haley nodded.

"Good plan. When shall we have it?" She asked, getting out a pad of paper from the drawer. Nathan stifled a laugh.

Haley looked up. "What?" She asked. Nathan grinned broadly.

"It's just, here you are planning a party and you still write everything down." He replied. Haley shrugged.

"I'm still tutor girl, through and through." She smiled at her husband.

"That's the girl I fell in love with." He pulled her onto his lap and the two shared a passionate kiss.

-

"Rachel, I'm home." Brooke stumbled through the door, still annoyed from her confrontation with her former best friend.

She peered into the living room but there was no Rachel. She frowned and headed up the stairs.

"Rachel?" She asked again, this time more fraught.

She stepped into their room and saw Rachel sitting down on the bed.

"Hey, roomie." She muttered sadly, slumping down next to her.

"What's up, Brooke?" Rachel asked in a caring tone.

"Peyton and I had a huge fight. She pretty much ended our friendship. If you could even call it that anymore." Brooke confessed quietly.

Rachel put her hand on Brooke's arm and Brooke leant on her shoulder.

"That sucks, Brooke. Really. But you guys will work it out." Rachel said in a tone which suggested she didn't quite believe it.

"Maybe." Brooke agreed with a sigh.

Rachel jumped up. "Right, I'm gonna go to the bathroom." she announced, then walked out of the bedroom door and into the adjoining bathroom.

"Sorry about that. I had to hide you. I'm not sure if I want anyone to know about us yet." She explained, kissing him forcefully.

Derek responded with a twisted smile. "They will. In time."


	9. She Was Falling

"Another day at Tree Hill High" Rachel sighed theatrically as her and Brooke walked through the hallways at the start of the day. Brooke stayed silent, making Rachel nudge her gently.

"How you holding up?" She asked quietly, whilst at the same time catching a cute guy's eye and smiling flirtatiously. That girl knew how to multitask.

"I'm Ok..." Brooke replied, wringing her hands together, her eyes darting around, on the lookout for her newly official ex-best friend. Rachel sighed.

"Look, what's the worst she can do when she sees you?" Rachel asked rhetorically.

"Well, she has a pretty mean right hook on her from what I remember..." Brooke muttered darkly. Rachel stopped and frowned.

"Peyton hit you?" She asked incredulously. Brooke nodded.

"In cheer camp we had a really complicated routine and it went punch to the left, then right, jump and turn, but she got it mixed up at the rehearsal and ended up getting me in the eye." She explained, a small smile appearing on her face at the memory. Rachel rolled her eyes.

"So, that was, what, however many years ago, and an accident. She doesn't seem violent to me." Rachel fired back. Brooke laughed slightly.

"Yeah, she was ten and I have a feeling she's only got stronger through the years. So excuse me for being a little wary." As the words left her mouth, Peyton stepped out of one of the classrooms and headed straight to her locker. She didn't even notice Brooke, or at least pretended not to.

Brooke grabbed Rachel in a vice-like grip and marched her down the hallway.

"Ow!" Rachel complaining, rubbing the spot and pouting. "Why did you just do that?" She asked.

"Because Peyton just ignored me and the only way to fight the ignore is by going one step further and walking past, head held high with my new best buddy." Brooke clarified.

"Whatever, weirdo. You need to come with subtitles."

-

Lucas was at the river court, shooting baskets and pushing himself to the limit. Leaning forward and breathing heavily, he noticed a figure come towards him and couldn't help but smile.

"Just like the olden days." He commented, walking over to her and engulfing her in a sweaty hug. She laughed and pushed him away good naturedly.

"Yeah, sure, if I wasn't married..." She grinned and they made their way over to the bench.

"What are you doing here anyway, skiving school?" Lucas guessed with a smile. Haley shook her head.

"I may be married and pregnant but once a tutor girl, always a tutor girl. I have double free period this morning, I'm going in later to tutor this new kid Martyn." She explained.

"Ah, so you didn't skip class to catch up with your best bud." Lucas said in a disappointed tone.

Haley rested a hand on her swollen stomach and leaned back slightly.

"I'm going to make the best uncle ever." Lucas announced in a smug tone. Haley smiled genuinely.

"You don't have to tell me that, I know." She replied, looking over at him.

"So... I heard on the grapevine that there's going to be a party at Deb's house." Lucas piped up, rubbing his hands together. Haley sighed.

"I told Nathan to keep it quiet, but now its all round the school?" Haley complained. Lucas smiled.

"No, Hales, it isn't, he just told me, he said you guys don't want to have a blowout, just a small gathering." He corrected, and Haley rolled her eyes.

"Well I don't know why I'm bothering, either way everyone at school will turn up." She muttered, not really getting into the spirit of things.

Lucas chuckled and leaned closer towards her.

"It's called a party for a reason, Hales." He whispered in her ear, then kissed the side of her head affectionately.

The two of them sat in silence for a moment.

"What's the latest with the love triangle?" Haley brought up casually. Lucas laughed.

"Ahh, so the real reason you came to see me is revealed. I don't really know, Brooke and I seemed to be getting back on the right track, but she doesn't seem to be too into the idea, to be honest. I think she just wants to be friends." Lucas admitted, staring down at the basketball between his feet.

"Are you kidding? You and Brooke Davis can never just be friends, your true feelings always come out." Haley blurted, and Lucas blushed slightly.

"Well to be perfectly honest, I agree. I just hope this time we manage to last longer than a few months." He replied thoughtfully.

"This party is the perfect excuse for you two to sort things out." Haley jumped in with a very un-Haley-like squeal.

Lucas laughed softly. "Woah, a second ago you were all pissed off about the party idea, now you're up for it?" He shook his head in a confused manner.

Haley raised her eyebrows and shrugged. "Hormones!" She used as an excuse, and Lucas slung an arm around her and laughed.

-

Peyton sat in English, working on her drawing. It was a new one she had started the night before.

It was of her and Brooke, a replica of a photo of the two of them hugging at the tender age of ten, at cheer camp. But in the picture she had drawn there was a jagged line between them, as if someone had ripped it up. Underneath it she had written 'Look What You've Done'.

"Sawyer." A voice beside her made her look up and instantaneously tuck the unfinished picture in her book.

"Hi, Nathan." She replied with a slight smile. He was turned round at his desk and she blinked, wondering if he had anything interesting to say. Sure, once they had gone out but since his relationship with Haley they had barely shared a meaningful conversation.

"How are you doing?" He asked in a whisper. She shrugged.

"It's the middle of English. I'm not dancing on the wind right now." She replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Nathan rolled his eyes and smirked.

"So..." He tried again. She shot him a warning glance: it wasn't like him to beat around the bush.

"I'm having a party. Well, Hales is actually. It's next weekend. Want to come?" He asked expectantly. Peyton looked up at him coyly.

"No offense, Nathan, but I'm not really in the party mood" She replied, hitting her default of 'moody, introverted emo chick'.

"Ok, I'll rephrase that. You are coming." He spoke confidently. Peyton just rolled her eyes.

"I'll think about it." She muttered, caving in. Nathan grinned.

This party was going to be awesome, even by Scott standards.

-

She stood in front of the mirror of her and Brooke's room and looked at her outfit from all angles.

It was a tight red dress, low cut and short. She ran a hand through her hair and then slicked on some clear lipgloss.

As she stared at her appearance she thought back to the night before.

_They had been talking for a while. She had opened a bottle of wine and half an hour later the empty bottle was standing on the coffee table. _

_She stood up blearily and tripped back into his lap. Instead of helping her up he kissed her hard on the mouth._

_OK, so the alcohol had played a part in it but they'd spent the whole evening learning about each other and laughing, and she really felt she'd got him wrong. _

_They spent a while longer kissing horizontally on the sofa, their legs entwined and their bodies almost glued to each other. When he suggested them going to her bedroom it seemed to her like a natural progression._

_And for the record, he was _very _good. Let's just say he knew exactly what he was doing._

She smiled at the memory and rushed to get to see him quicker.

When he answered the door he looked amazing: his tan looked even cuter set against the tight black tee he wore, and his baggy jeans made her want to... she smiled.

"Hey, sexy." She said, kissing him on the lips. He grinned back and let her in.

"Worth ditching school for?" He asked with a wink. She just nodded slowly. "You have no idea"

"Drink?" He offered nonchalantly, walking through into the kitchen.

"Is that codeword for sex?" She half-joked. He gave her a smoldering look and took her by the hand.

"Rachel, I like you a lot." He told her, his blue eyes piercing her. She held his gaze and nodded.

She would never admit this to anyone, but she was falling, and she had never felt like this before.

-

Brooke arrived home after school, parking her blue car in the driveway. Rachel had ditched her second period and she had spent the rest of the day wedged between Bevin and Theresa, half listening to their inane nonstop commentary.

Needless to say, she was not in the best of moods.

She slammed the door shut behind her and dropped her duffel bag on the floor.

"Rachel, I need alcohol." She whined, collapsing onto the sofa. She stood up abruptly when it came to her attention that Rachel was not in the living room.

"Rachel?" She called in a sing-song voice.

She skipped up the stairs, determined not to let her bad mood get the better of her. She peered into the room they shared and blinked when she found it was empty.

Where the hell was Rachel?

-

"Come back to bed, baby." The girl in question muttered silkily, running a hand through her hair. The red dress lay in a crumpled heap on the floor. Derek was in the bathroom probably doing his hair. Whilst he was gone she rearranged herself so her legs looked even longer and her balcony bra showed just enough cleavage.

"Derek?" She asked again, sitting up.

He came out of the bathroom and she pursed her lips.

"You're wasting valuable time." She bit her lip and gave him her best seductive look. He smiled and walked over to the bed.

"I think your using me..." He told her mock-sternly, lying down beside her. She raised her eyebrows.

"And you mind being used?" She asked archly. He grinned and kissed her, giving her the answer she needed.

"Oh crap, I've got to get back home, I'll come round later, ok?" She checked with him, grabbing her dress and rushing out of the room.

He stared up at the ceiling. He tried not to smile, but he couldn't help himself.

Rachel was great, he couldn't deny that. He didn't even want to deny it.

It just wasn't part of his plan.

Or maybe it was...?

**Ok, that's Chapter 9. A bit smaltzy I know, but i'm just getting ready for THE party! It will be exciting I'm sure. I'm thinking chapter 12ish, got some stuff to sort out before then. I assure you, BL will realize what they want and Peyton will also make some decisions. But not the right ones...  
Thanks for the reviews of the last chapter, especially BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE who reviews without fail every time: thanks so much! Everyone else should follow in that manner! **


	10. Lonely

The bed was empty. That she was sure of. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, wondering where he was.

"Derek?" She called, her normally confident voice faltering slightly.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed and jumped up, wearing just a tank top and a pair of boy shorts. Though she was confused about where he was, she still stopped to check herself out in the mirror. Typical Rachel.

As she walked across the hallway she noticed how big the house was. OK, it was the same size as hers and Brooke's, but there was something off about it.

She stood, hands on hips and deep in thought, not quite able to put her finger on what was the matter.

Then the word came to her.

Lonely.

It seemed so big because there was no paint on the walls, barely any furniture, only a few photos hanging up.

The thought sent a small shiver over her, but she put it down to having little clothes on. Why should she be creeped out by Derek?

Granted, she had made a big deal out of it when he had spent more time with Brooke, and she had warned her best friend off him, and she even recalled mentioning a scenario involving a patio and a shovel, but that was before she actually knew him. It was more the fear of the unknown than actually being afraid of him.

Right?

-

Lucas was jogging again.

It had become somewhat of a routine recently, he always had trouble sleeping.

"Overactive mind", his mother called it, when he lay awake long after finishing his book.

He upped the pace, not minding that he was getting short of breath. He saw Brooke and Rachel's house up ahead and concentrated on passing by without thinking about Brooke.

"Luke?" Brooke asked from where she was sitting on the porch.

Damn.

He tried to act as if he hadn't meant to run past her house but ended up looking a bit dodgy. She stood up and walked towards him, pulling at her baby pink camisole and matching slouch pants.

"What are you doing out here so early?" He blurted out without even a 'hello'

She gave him an inquisitive look but it was softened by a small smile. "I could ask you the same thing" She retorted and he grinned.

"Just decided on a jog. Wakes me up, you know?" He replied, running a hand through his sandy blonde hair.

She nodded, losing the uncomfortable edge she had when she first spotted him. He always made her feel at ease even without trying.

"Heard about the Naley party?" He asked when there was a moment of silence.

"Yeah, should be awesome. But I'm not inviting Nikki!" She joked, and they shared a forced laugh, both grimacing as they remembered the pain they both felt at that time at screwing up what they had.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go with me?" He asked easily, barely realizing he'd said it until it was too late.

She looked sad for a moment, then covered it with one of her dimple smiles. "Well, Lucas Scott, everyone knows, it's not who you take to a party, it's who you take home..." She winked and turned round, ready to walk off.

"Pick me up at eight." She winked and walked back inside. Lucas let a laugh slip and turned and ran off down the road.

Lucas Scott was taking Brooke Davis to the Scott's house party.

It was going to be killer.

-

Time: 8:02

Place: Peyton Sawyer's room

Soundtrack: That's Entertainment by The Jam.

She was sitting in front of her computer screen, happily downloading some new tracks whilst updating her Ipod at the same time.

A loud knock on the front door interrupted this process and caused her to lower the volume of her music.

She stood up and made her way downstairs, feeling apprehensive to who it was: everyone who stopped by at her house knew that she kept the door unlocked and to walk right in. She didn't recognize the person through the mottled glass.

"Hello, Peyton." said a tall blonde stranger she had never laid eyes on before. She stood, visibly and mentally guarding him from her.

"Do I know you?" She asked, trying not to sound rude. He smiled slightly, his exceedingly white teeth on show.

"No, I live next door to Brooke and Rachel." He replied, and she frowned.

"What has that got to do with me?" She asked in the same guarded tone. He placed a hand on the framework, stopping her from being able to shut the door on him if needs be.

"I have to ask you a favor, and I know it's really rude of me when I don't know you, but I have a feeling you could help me with this."

All of her instincts were screaming at her to get rid of him, to shove him out the door and lock it behind him: Who on earth comes to someone they don't know to ask a favor?

But she saw something about him, maybe it was the look in his eyes or that half smile on his lips that made her change her mind.

She opened the door to let him go by, and as he passed she realized what it was about him.

He reminded her of Lucas.

-

"Nathan, breakfast!" Haley said gently, kissing him on the cheek as he lay in the bed. He blinked and half heartedly kissed her back.

"You made me breakfast in bed?" He asked, stating the absolute obvious as she balanced the tray on the bedside cabinet whilst pouring him a glass of juice.

She gave him a devilish smile. "You need all the stamina you can manage today, Mister." She told him mock-sternly. He raised his eyebrows, completely taking the bait.

"Oh yes?" He asked wolfishly. She nodded eagerly.

"We've got a party to plan, baby!" She revealed with a laugh, enhanced by the way his face dropped.

"Hales, it's teacher conference day, we get that twice every year, must we do this today?" He asked, pulling her on top of him and kissing her along her neck.

She sat up, pushing her hair behind her ears. "Yes, the party is next weekend and we have to buy drinks, food, music..." She listed on her fingers, turning back to him to find he had already fallen back asleep.

She rolled her eyes and gently got up and made her way to the bathroom. She stepped onto the scales and wished she hadn't.

OK, she was supposed to be gaining weight being 6 months pregnant and all, but she wasn't too happy looking like a beached whale.

Looked over to her husband lying asleep on the bed, she smiled to herself. Nathan loved her as she was.

As long as they were all happy and healthy they were ok.

-

Rachel breezed back into the house with a smile and a sway of her hips.

Brooke was sitting on the sofa, staring at some crappy cable channel and barely taking it in.

"What's up, slagathor?" Rachel asked, bumping her so she could sit down next to her. Brooke slapped her lightly on the arm.

"Not much, where have you been?" She enquired.

Rachel shrugged. "Here and there." She replied with a wan smile. Brooke sighed.

"OK, this time try telling me the truth." Brooke said slowly, looking her friend straight in the eye.

"Fine, I got wasted at a frat party across town and ended up underneath some semi-cute college kid." Rachel downright lied, but it was a believable one.

"And you didn't want to tell me that because..." Brooke asked. Rachel bit her lip and toyed with her hair.

"Well, I should probably do some growing up since we're graduating soon. Everyone else I know is" She shrugged, and Brooke put her manicured hand on her friends forearm.

"Rachel, you shouldn't have to change for other people. If you're happy being a drunken wreck with probably twelve kids and a smack habit by the time your twenty five then by all means, go for it." Brooke deadpanned, making Rachel crack into a smile.

"Speaking of a drunken state, are you going to Nathan and his fatso's party?" She changed subject. Brooke stifled a giggle.

"Firstly, Haley is pregnant, so it's allowed, and neither of them has a smack habit or anything I just listed." She replied, as confused as ever.

Rachel leaned nearer to deliver her perfectly timed punchline

"Go and visit them in five years"

Brooke laughed at this, though she wanted to be loyal to one of her best friends, she couldn't help but admit Rachel's cutting retorts were amusing.

"Yes, I am going to Nathan and Haley's party, are you?" Brooke replied demurely. Rachel shrugged.

"I'm thinking about it..." She answered mysteriously.

"You're one of my best friends, right?" Brooke asked sweetly, and Rachel pulled a yuk face. "I wouldn't go that far." She muttered under her breathe.

Brooke pointedly ignored this remark. "Lucas asked to take me, and I want to know if that's a dumb idea." Brooke said in one breathe, then braced herself for the reaction.

Rachel smiled slightly. "Well, Brooke, he broke your heart twice, he puts other people in front of you and doesn't fight for you. But wow is he hot. I'd say dumb move, sugar plum." She said, being brutally honest.

"But I-" Brooke tried to inteject, but Rachel wasn't finished.

"Just, don't give him everything Brooke, because he always manages to hurt you." Rachel said in a hollow voice, and Brooke nodded, knowing that though her roommate was often sarcastic and sometimes unkind, she had Brooke's best interests at heart.

"I won't" She promised with a smile.

Secretly, she wondered if she could actually keep that promise: with Lucas, all bets were off.

**Sorry, it was a fairly short update and it is quite a filler chapter, but the Brucas interaction was needed (I can't wait to write about what happens to them at the party!) and the Peyton thing will become clearer and very significant.**

**Reviews welcome, I know it took a while to upload but I arrived back this morning and have been working on this and the next few chapters nonstop. Well, it beats unpacking!**


	11. Make That Choice Part 1

**Ok, so this chapter kind of steals the Pictures of You episode, but just the concept, not any of the pairings or events. I didn't include Chase, Bevin or Skills because I kind of wanted to focus on the core characters and there was some stuff that was needed to get out into the open.**

**Also, I have zero knowledge about basketball so forgive me of my lame attempts to add in some 'jump shots' because thats about the extent of it.**

**And this chapter is kind of long, but next chapter is the partay so i needed to get as much out in the open beforehand. **

**Enjoy, read, review... and all that jazz **

"You know what really sucks?" Rachel piped up as her and Brooke walked into school the next day.

"Oh, I don't know, that you're always going to be a total slut?" A voice beside her asked sweetly.

The two girls turned around and stared at her.

"Haley!" Brooke gasped at her friend's out of character reply, pulling her into a hug, whilst Rachel stayed unusually subdued.

"Sorry about that, I couldn't resist!" Haley turned to the redhead, who didn't look to pleased about the insult.

"Whatever, Haley, at least I'm not a fat chick who's husband-" Rachel began in an acidic tone.

"Rachel, need I remind you that my husband wouldn't sleep with you? It seems he has taste, instead of going for some cheap tart." Haley hit back, cutting Rachel off completely.

Brooke looked on in amazement.

"You are on fire today, H.J Scott!" She quipped, nudging her friend and smirking.

"Well someone needed to put Red in her place." Haley pointed out, smiling a little as she walked off towards to Tutor Centre.

"She is mean!" Rachel muttered, scowling and pushing her hair back from her face. "You know, she would deserve it if I slept with Nathan now!" She added, licking her lips in a provocative manner.

"Quit it, Rachel, he's happily married and his wife can clearly bitch slap you with words!" Brooke stuck up for her Tutor Girl, shooting Rachel a look.

"Besides, we have a whole hour slot with her and the whole gang in Tutor Convention." Brooke reminded her, and Rachel sighed dramatically.

"Yep, that's what sucks."

-

"Hello Tree Hill Seniors. Today you have the utmost pleasure of a full 60 minutes in this classroom. Yes, classes have been rescheduled, timetables have been rearranged and you have all got this time to reflect what you have learnt this past year. With Graduation coming up in a few weeks you have a chance to reassess what's important." Mr. Meadows announced with a sardonic smile as the class stared lifelessly back at him.

Brooke put her hand up. "OK, not that I don't love sitting here doing this, but shouldn't we be celebrating our Finals being over, not sitting cooped up in a classroom?" She suggested with a sunny smile.

Mr Meadows raised his eyebrows. "Though that's an interesting idea, Miss Davis, I assure you that by the end of this class you will be glad you were here. This is the time to get everything out in the open. Consider it a fresh start." He said, as the students of the class took this in.

Rachel shot a worried glance at Brooke.

Brooke watched Peyton wearily.

Peyton tried to catch Lucas' eye but he wasn't playing.

Only Haley and Nathan shared a reassuring look.

Rachel shot her hand up, her overconfidence shining through. "What if some of us don't need a fresh start?" She asked innocently. The class sniggered, and a hurt look flitted across her face.

"If anyone needs one, it's you!" Peyton muttered, sending the class laughing again. Rachel folded her arms. Not funny.

"Enough with the witty banter." Mr. Meadows clapped his hands and changed the subject. "OK, so you spend one hour with a partner. That partner can't be a best friend, a boy or girlfriend," He broke off to look pointedly at Haley and Nathan. "A husband and wife, it has to be someone you haven't spent time with lately. I'll let you decide who to go with, and if you make a choice to go with someone you know, then it will be your loss to have wasted an hour gossiping about Gossip Girl or whatever's in this week" He spread his arms out and smiled warmly. "Make that choice."

The room buzzed with anticipation. Chairs were scraped back as people started grouping off.

Nathan turned round to look at Haley. "I guess that means we can't go together." He said, and Haley shrugged. "I have you all to myself anyway, two hours won't hurt." She muttered, and the two shared a sweet kiss.

Lucas walked over to Brooke, and looked at her expectantly. "Want to be my partner?" He asked with a half smile. Brooke tilted her head to one side.

"You're already taking me to the party next week. Besides, I have someone else in mind." Brooke glanced over at her girl and sauntered over.

"Hey Tutor Wife. Want to spend the best hour of your life in the company of yours truly?" She asked with a dimpled smile. Haley nodded and smiled back.

Nathan nudged his brother. "Hey, man. Since Brooke stole my wife I was wondering if you want to do this stupid thing with me?" He asked in a gruff voice, not wanting to sound girly or lame around his peers. Lucas nodded, using the same tone.

"Yeah, sure, maybe we can shoot some hoops down at the River Court." He suggested. The two smiled at one another and did a lame guy knuckle bomp. Smooth.

Rachel looked around the classroom desperately. "No." She said determinedly. "I am not going with blondie bitch!" She cried, giving the only other available person in the class a long glare.

Peyton walked up to her, chewing gum. "You think I want to spend this time with you either?" She asked incredulously, clearly as put out as her partner.

"So, you've all got into pairs. Now," He began writing on the whiteboard. "You need to jot these questions down. You can answer as truthfully or as falsely as you like, but remember kids," He shot them a cheesy smile. "You'll only be cheating yourselves."

-

After the class wrote down the three questions, there was a haste to get out of the classroom.

As the couples spread out around the school, Haley and Brooke sat on the floor of the empty tutor centre.

"I gotta say, Brooke, I was kind of surprised you wanted to do this with me" Haley piped up. Brooke nudged her gently.

"Are you kidding me? You're my Tutor Girl/Wife/soon-to-be-Mom" Brooke replied instantly and Haley smiled.

"Yeah, that's true. But what about Rachel, you two seem to be good friends." Haley continued in a monotone voice, her feelings about Rachel clear.

"She's a good friend to me, sluttiness and cheating aside. But I spend all my time at the apartment with her, didn't want to overload. Besides, we're meant to go with people we've lost touch with and that's definitely the case for us." Brooke pointed out.

"OK, I buy that. But Lucas? What's the deal with him? Didn't he want to go with you?" Haley probed gently. Brooke gave her a sideways glance.

"What's with the questions, Hales? Didn't you want me to pick you?" Brooke fake-pouted, and the two girls laughed.

"Of course I do, I just wondered what was happening with Lucas." Haley defended herself. Brooke shrugged and looked at the ground.

She didn't say anything for a while. She found it difficult to talk about how she felt about Lucas to Haley. It was different from spilling it to Rachel, she often just said something sarcastic and they moved on. Haley was one of the only people who knew Lucas completley, he kept no secrets from her and Brooke was afraid on some level that by telling Haley it would be almost as if she was telling Lucas. And she wasn't ready for that, she didn't want to let her guard down until she knew he was completely committed to her.

"Nothing much, we're going to your party together but that's all" Brooke dodged the question with a strained smile, almost pulling it off. Haley narrowed her eyes but decided to let it go. She looked at her notes and turned to Brooke seriously.

"OK, so what's the best thing that's happened this year?"

-

"Finding out Haley was pregnant" Nathan said instantaneously. Lucas made a shot and turned to his brother.

"I don't know, man, you've turned your life around, you're married! Got a kid coming!" He shook his head and smiled slightly. "You're all grown up!" He added with a snicker.

"I suppose I am. Just got my priorities straight, I guess." Nathan dribbled the ball then made a jump shot. "Either way, I can still beat your ass at basketball." He laughed, teasing his brother.

"Hey, I have a heart condition!" Lucas protested, a little out of breath.

"Excuses!" Nathan brushed off with a grin. The two boys sat on the benches, losing the front they put up when playing on the court.

"If you'd have asked me that question before I'd met Haley then I would have said being accepted to Duke." He admitted softly, staring down at the basketball that was rested between his feet.

"Well yeah but if there was no Haley there'd be no baby." Lucas pointed out, and Nathan smirked when he realized this was true.

"Maybe Peyton..." He suggested, and Lucas looked away. Clearly the topic of Miss Sawyer was off limits. But, Nathan being Nathan, he asked anyway.

"Speaking of her, what's the deal?" He asked bluntly. Lucas let out a loud sigh which may have been misinterpreted as a growl.

"Nothing!" He half shouted.

"Woah, Lucas, relax. I was just asking." Nathan said, and Lucas winced.

"Yeah. Sorry, Nate. I think that was all the pent up frustration of everyone else asking me" He admitted.

"And Brooke? You gonna yell at me about that, too?"

Lucas shook his head, a little smile playing on his lips. The same little smile that appeared when Brooke kissed him for the first time, after showing him her tattoo in the bar, when their relationship was fresh and exciting and new. The same smile he had whenever he saw Brooke opening up her locker, forever reminded of when he decorated it for her, and the happiness all over her face. The same smile that Brooke felt when they kissed in the rain, and the smile she witnessed when he told her he loved her too, Pretty Girl. The smile that hadn't shone so bright since Brooke broke up with him, since Brooke broke his heart.

"Er... Luke? You haven't said anything for a while." Nathan dragged him out of his thoughts, and the smile fell from his lips.

"Sorry. No, i'm not gonna yell at you about her. I can't put into words how I feel about her, Nathan." He replied steadily, showing his feelings without having to go deep. Nathan nodded.

"I think it's called love, dude. It's how I feel about Haley." The brothers sat for a moment, contemplating how in love they were, the same dreamy expression on their faces. After a moment Nathan gave a manly cough.

"Let's shoot some hoops" Lucas suggested, grabbing the basketball and heading onto the court.

-

"I can tell you the worst. Being here with you" Rachel told Peyton, her head tilted and a condescending smile on her face. Peyton raised her eyebrows.

"That was a very clear diversion tactic." She noted sardonically, as the two sat in the library. Rachel nodded in the direction of one of the shelves of books.

"Is that where you almost bled to death and then kissed my best friends boyfriend?" She asked neutrally. Peyton glared at her.

"Well, aren't you lovely?" She said with a fake smile. Rachel matched it. The two stared at each other for a moment, unsure of what to say.

"Yes, that was the spot. The bloodstain kind of gives it away, doesn't it?" Peyton muttered, and Rachel paused, lost for words.

"Must have sucked." She said, being nice in her own special way. In her defense she was nice to the people she thought deserved it, and right then Peyton did. Most of the time though, she didn't.

"How's Brooke?" Peyton asked in almost a whisper, as if she had meant to only say it in her head, but blurted it out.

"My friends are important to me, Peyton. I act like a bitch on wheels to most people, but when it concerns my friends I let my guard down. Brooke is one of the best people I have around me right now and I'm not going to talk about her with you. She gave you a second chance. You blew it" Rachel replied.

Peyton didn't have anything to say to that. The words Rachel said took her right back to Nathan and Haley's wedding: when Brooke had confronted her, slapped her, and ended their friendship.

"I know I did, Rachel. But to be honest it's none of your business. So what, just because you live with her you think you know her? You could never know her the way I do." Peyton bit back, her voice strengthening as it went on. Rachel sat up so she appeared taller, visibly squaring up to Peyton.

Who'd have thought it - these two girls fighting over Brooke's friendship?

"If you knew her that well you would have been a better friend and not involved Lucas" Rachel replied icily, staring her opponent dead in the eye. Peyton didn't flinch or look away.

"I've been her friend for over ten years, Rachel and I can see she's changed. She's constantly demanding about Lucas, she twists round everything I do and say and she's not the girl I know. So forgive me if I don't want to patch things up." Peyton's voice dripped with bitterness and this didn't go unnoticed.

Rachel pushed her hair out of her face and leant her hand on the desk. "I can't say she's better off without you, because that would be a lie, but right now she's figuring things out and you being out of the equation makes it easier for her." Rachel said truthfully.

Peyton took this in and the two girls stayed silent for a while.

Of course, it wouldn't last long.

-

The empty gym echoed with laughter as Brooke and Haley reminisced.

"I still can't believe you had sex in my bed!" Haley said in between giggled.

"I washed the sheets!" Brooke protested jokingly as the two began laughing again.

"How did we even get on to this subject?" She asked, getting back to the actual assignment.

"Er, well I asked what the best thing to happen this year was and then you avoided the question by talking about the past." Haley said in one breath. She put on a serious expression.

"Start talking, missy. What's it gonna be?" She continued, folding her arms and gave Brooke an 'I know you more than you think' look.

"I don't know. Maybe when I started the clothing design. It's not much but I felt proud because it showed I could achieve something without having to lean on everyone around me." She muttered, lost in her thoughts.

"Well, I gotta say, Miss Davis, I always knew you could do it. You may have little faith in yourself but I have enough for the both of us. Your designs are going to be huge." Haley predicted warmly, and Brooke clutched her hand as they shared a moment.

"Thanks, Hales." She said quietly, slipping her friend a small smile.

"Anytime. So, can you tell me about Lucas now?" Haley all but begged, biting her lip playfully. Brooke pouted and sat back.

"So this was all an act: feed her some compliments, soften her up then get her to spill all the juicy details?" She asked, a little put out.

Haley shook her head firmly. "I meant all those things I said, of course I did. I just kind of think you were holding back a bit. I know when you made your designs it was awesome, but do you remember what you said to me?" Haley asked, turning to face Brooke head on.

Brooke looked down at her cuticles and shrugged. "I said a lot of stuff to you that day. If you recall we spent a good portion of it in prison!" She said. Haley rolled her eyes.

"No. You said, and I quote, I love my clothes, but there's an ache in my heart where Lucas used to be. So don't give me any crap about your line being the best thing that's happened to you, because I know Lucas comes first. Just like Nathan comes first for me." She finished, making Brooke look nervous.

She was right. Everything Haley had said was right. She was in love with Lucas. And she was pretty sure he felt the same way. But something told that someone was going to stand in their way.

The Course Of True Love Never Did Run Smoothly

**OK I actually broke it into two chapters because it was just too long. So consider this part 1, and the next part will be a continuation of it. Sorry about the rather underwhelming ending, but it's kind of just a stopgap for now.**

**So, chapter 13 will be the party. Unlucky for some...**

**I think I write way too many A/N's, I should cut back and focus on the story.**

**Thankyou to BabyBlueBeauty for the correction, I can be such a ditz at times!**


	12. Make That Choice Part 2

**Here's the second part of Make That Choice. Read, enjoy and review.**

**Thanks to BabyBlueBeauty, BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE, Brucas2006, brookenlucas4eva03, Brucasfan23 and NaNaLiLy for the positive reviews, I really appreciate it.**

**Another long one, hope you enjoy and review.**

"OK, next question. Describe your life in ten years time." Lucas sat down next to Nathan, glancing down at his notebook. Nathan raised his eyebrows and stared at his brother.

"What?" Lucas looked up and felt like a deer caught in the headlights.

"You haven't given me a chance to ask you. What's the best thing that's happened to you this year?" Nathan pushed, spinning the ball on his finger, partially to show off and partially to give the front that he didn't give a crap what the answer was.

"Well, it's a tough call. Keith dying, finding out I have HCM and can't play the sport I love, the accident or Brooke breaking up with me?" Lucas supplied, his tone low and sarcastic. Nathan shoved him hard.

"You're such a whiner! Get over yourself and look to the positives. For one thing you have an awesome brother!" Nathan joked to take the bite out of his words. Lucas sighed.

"I honestly can't say. This year has been kind of crap."

-

Rachel hit head head on the table, not bothered that her cool disposition was lost.

"You are SO negative!" She growled, giving Peyton a bitchy glare. Peyton folded her arms.

"Sorry, Rachel, but it's true." She said lightly, pleased that she was getting to Rachel. No one spoke for a moment.

"Getting in contact with my birth mother, Ellie" She said in almost a whisper. "That was the best thing."

Rachel nodded and smiled slightly.

"What was she like?" She asked casually. Peyton grinned brightly, not minding that the girl she didn't like much was asking the question. Not many people spoke about Ellie and it felt good to share her memory.

"She was amazing. She had this longing for life, you know, to make the most out of it. I learnt that from her. She also had the greatest taste in music. She taught me a lot." A few tears fell from Peyton's eyes and she wiped them away. Rachel politely looked away.

"See, not everything about your year was bad" She said with a smile. Peyton narrowed her eyes, the connection they just shared being lost as if it was a mistake all along.

"Don't patronize me, Rachel. One of the worst things about this year was Brooke shutting me out when she should have been there for me." Peyton raised her voice, taking the anger she had for Brooke out on the nearest person.

Rachel raised her eyebrows, her ability to keep cool making her seem in control. She leant in towards Peyton.

"You make it sound like Brooke's job was to dry your tears and kiss it all better. It doesn't work like that. You have to earn her friendship, just like she earns yours. It's give and take, Peyton, and you mainly take. You hurt her so badly can you blame her that she took a step back? She didn't stay away to make you feel worse, she did it to protect herself from your destructive self centered decisions you constantly make." Rachel told her slowly, making sure Peyton heard every word because, quite frankly, she needed to hear it.

Peyton sucked in a breath and stared at the table. It seemed that slab of truth hit home, and for once she didn't have a witty, sarcastic comeback.

"I'm sorry you had a crappy year, Peyton, but Brooke has too. You weren't there for her either." She finished, then stood up and walked out, leaving Peyton all alone in the library.

-

"In ten years time I hope I'll be living in a nice, cosy cottage with Nathan and our children. Happy and healthy." Haley said, a wistful smile appearing on her face. Brooke rubbed her friends arm.

"I really want that for you, Hales. You and Nathan deserve it." She said. Haley nodded.

"But who knows? Maybe it won't happen like that." She shrugged and pretended it didn't matter but Brooke knew her friend: it mattered a lot. She pushed her hair back over her shoulder and looked at Brooke.

"Your turn. Describe your life in ten years." Haley said, and Brooke blinked earnestly.

"I'll have a clothing line that's super successful, have a hot guy on my arm every night and be ridiculously rich." She replied as if she had it all planned out. Haley gave her a look only Tutor Girl could perfect.

"Fine. I want to be married to Lucas!" She admitted loudly, throwing her hands in the air. Haley chuckled.

"You're gonna work it out with him, then?" She asked, and Brooke nodded after a moment of thought

"I guess he deserves a break. Besides, I just need to trust him more." She decided with a firm nod. Haley gave Brooke a sideways glance.

"Maybe try trusting yourself a little bit too" She advised with a wink.

"Yeah, that might help." Brooke agreed, chewing her lip nervously.

"And what about P. Sawyer? You guys ever going to sort out your ongoing fight?" Haley asked, toying with the sleeves of her cream cardigan. Brooke wrinkled her nose and let out a drawn out sigh.

"I don't know. We've officially called it quits but can I honestly say I want to live my life without her in it? I'm not so sure." She said in barely a whisper.

Haley stayed quiet, letting her friend get it all out in the open. She clearly needed it.

"I just don't understand why she's willing to hurt me over Lucas. I know she says she loves him, but she can't see that I do too. And he loves me back. If she wants love she should go to Jake, he was always crazy about her. But Lucas? I can't let him go for her. Maybe that makes me the bad friend." She mused, frowning slightly.

"No, Brooke. You and Lucas love each other and if Peyton is willing to come between you then she's the bad friend, not you." She protested unflinchingly.

"Maybe we're both as bad as each other."

-

"Can we take a break?" Lucas asked, flushed in the face and his blue tee covered in sweat. Nathan, looking less affected, just laughed.

"You just want an excuse so I don't cream you!" He teased, getting one more basket before sitting down next to Lucas.

"Actually, I kind of thought we should finish this since we only have thirty minutes left. And need I remind you that I have HCM?" Lucas protested weakly. Nathan slapped him on the back.

"That's a valid point. However I'd still beat you anyway." He deadpanned, before getting back to the assignment.

"Last question. If you had one wish right now, what would it be?" He asked Lucas. There was a few minutes of silence between the brothers as they both thought about the question.

"For my mom to have Keith. So he could see his child. So they could be a family, at least for a moment" Lucas replied, his voice cracking slightly. Nathan put his hand on Lucas's shoulder in a comforting manner.

"She'll be fine, though. She's stronger than you give her credit for." Nathan spoke wisely. After a moment, he laughed slightly.

"Mind you, she raised you on your own and look how you turned out!" He joked, sensing it was the right time for some comic relief. Thankfully, Lucas laughed too.

"I want Haley to be happy." Nathan said simply and truly, a happy smile appearing on his face at the thought of his wife being content.

"That way I would be too" He finished, a glint in his eye.

-

"If you were going to be all dramatic and run off then you might have wanted to find a better hiding place" Peyton muttered to the top of Rachel's head, her black Converse almost touching the toes of Rachel's brown suede boots. Rachel didn't seem to notice.

"I wasn't being dramatic, I was just bored of our never ending argument." Rachel confessed in a light tone, as if everything was fine. She was leaning on a shelf of books, her knees pulled up to her chest

"Guess we should get on with these questions." Peyton held out the piece of paper she'd torn from her jotter and handed it to Rachel. Rachel rolled her eyes silently and glanced at it.

"Fine. Describe your life in ten years." She droned, her eyes flitting up and looking at Peyton. She looked thoughtful.

"I don't know, maybe setting up a record company, or designing cover art for undiscovered, awesome bands. Something to do with music and art I hope" She replied after a moment. "You?" She asked as if she genuinely wanted to know, instead of it being part of the task.

"I'll be twenty seven" Rachel spoke as if Peyton was the dumbest person alive, and Peyton let out a sigh.

"That's a crappy answer, Rachel." She said with a hint of a challenge in her voice.

"I'll probably have married some old rich guy so when he gets bumped off I get all his money" Rachel answered with a hollow laugh at the end. Peyton let the matter drop, realizing that was probably going to be the most truthful answer she would get out of her.

"What's the last question?" She asked, peering at the sheet Rachel was still holding.

"If you could have one wish right now, what would it be?" Peyton asked. Rachel snorted condescendingly.

"What is up with these questions? I feel like we're trapped in a Disney movie." She muttered. Despite her best efforts, Peyton couldn't help but laugh.

"Where's Dumbo when you need him?" She added in the same tone, and the two girls chuckled at their similar opinions for once.

The two girls sat side by side, neither saying anything and both content in each others company.

After a while Peyton turned to Rachel.

"How's Derek?" She asked quietly. Rachel sat up and stared at her, her eyes wide and accusing.

"What do you mean?" She replied carefully, making sure she sounded cool and unbothered. She just about pulled it off.

"He came to see me the other day." Peyton confessed. "He said you two had a 'thing'" She confessed. Rachel frowned.

"Why did he go and see you?" She demanded loudly. Peyton looked at the floor.

"He wanted some help with music." She shrugged, wishing she hadn't said anything.

As Rachel pondered why her boyfriend had a sudden interest in music, Peyton had something else on her mind.

Derek hadn't come to see her about music. That was their cover up. He wanted her help with something else, something much more important.

Soon the secret would be revealed.

The bell rang just in time.

-

"Welcome back, class." Mr Meadows smiled at the group as they filed back into the classroom in their pairs. "I hope you all learnt a lot. About yourselves and your partners" He continued with a knowing smile.

He began passing round squares of paper, one for each student.

"When you get a piece of paper, write down one thing you learnt in today's class. Keep in anonymous, and hand them back to me before you head out." He told them, turning back to the whiteboard and rubbing off the questions from earlier.

The students began writing.

_I learnt that I can beat my brother at basketball, and his heart condition is an excuse. _

_This class was a waste of time. And what was with the questions, Meadows? _

_I learnt that I should spend more time with my Tutor Girl. She knows me better than I thought._

_I learnt that my partner would do anything for the girl he loves. Maybe I should take on that attitude._

_I learnt today that losing touch with people is one of the worst things you can do. But finding them again? That kind of makes it worthwhile_

_I learnt that Rachel isn't as bad as I thought she was. Turns out we have A LOT in common. More than she thinks._

-

It was 3:50 according to the silver clock on the mantlepiece.

There was anticipation in the air, he could feel it.

He sent a text on his phone and smiled a half smile, which could have been mistaken as a frown.

-

She tapped the desk in time to the music impatiently.

She began flicking through songs on her Itunes. Waiting made her nervous.

The beeping sound made her jump up and check her impending phone messages.

"I'll be round later to sort out arrangements."

Simple though it was, it still brought a smile to her face.

She hit reply.

"Can't wait."


	13. We Can't Help Who We Fall For

**I am such a bad person. I haven't updated in weeks, I'm really sorry but I've had major block and I didn't want to add anything until I was happy with it. So here it is, hope it's worth it. The chapter after this one is a bit different to all the others, but it will all make sense in the end. And the party won't be the end, so there will be more to come. This chapter is a bit of a filler, hopefully not too boring.**

**Thanks so much for the reviews of the last chapter: BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE, Brucas2006, brookenlucas4eva03, whiters and XxBrucas4everxX, you guys are absolutely fantastic**

"How did it go with Mrs. Fatty Pregnant Bitch?" Rachel enquired with a smile. Brooke rolled her eyes and threw her hairbrush at her.

"I had a really good time actually." Brooke ignored her friend's bitchy remark and carried on flicking through a magazine.

Rachel flopped down next to her. "Well I had a good time with Blondie." She said, peering over Brooke's shoulder.

Brooke snapped the magazine shut and stared at her friend.

"You are so not my best friend anymore!" She said in a voice a few octaves higher than usual. Rachel laughed.

"I was kidding. That girl is boring, she's in love with Lucas and she complains all the time! How could you stand her?" She asked rhetorically. Brooke shrugged.

"I guess I got used to it, took the good with the bad." She replied, deep in thought.

"Well that was a fun trip down memory lane." Rachel drawled, sighing loudly.

"You started it!" Brooke protested, flinging the magazine back down on the coffee table.

"Anyway, we've got school to go to. Lessons to learn..." She continued, grabbing her bag and starting out the door.

"Boys to seduce..." Rachel chimed in, shutting the door behind her.

-

"Good morning, brother in law!" Haley smiled as she caught up with Nathan and Lucas and slotted in between them.

Nathan chuckled and slung his arm around her, pulling her close. "And where's my hello?" He asked.

"Well, husband, I can give you a kiss instead?" She offered, leaning up on her tiptoes and kissing him. Lucas coughed awkwardly.

"Guys, it's kind of early in the morning here!" He protested with a smirk. "But hello to you, Hales. Looking forward to your party?" He asked.

"Yes, I can't wait!" She replied with a smile.

"Awesome, it's going to be cool, Hales. Anyway, I'm gonna catch up with Peyton" He made his excuses and trailed behind.

"Hey." He smiled, standing next to her as she opened up her locker.

"Hi, Luke." She replied, turning her back to him.

"You ok, Peyton?" He asked softly, and she nodded.

"Yeah, just slowly getting over having to spend an hour with Rachel." She muttered, grabbing some CDs out of her locker.

"Well, I had to scrub myself with disinfectant to get the blonde bitch feel out of my system." Rachel butted in, standing beside Brooke who looked uncomfortable.

Peyton flashed her a sarcastic smile. "Nothing will ever make you clean though, will it?" She replied quickly, then slammed her locker shut.

"Come on, Rach." Brooke all but whispered, snaking in between Lucas and Peyton, her head down.

"Wait, Brooke." Lucas called, following her down the hall, giving Peyton a small smile as he left.

Before Rachel could escape, Peyton grabbed her arm. "You should really tell her about Derek." She advised coldly. Rachel frowned and pulled away from the grip.

"And you care because?" She asked, rubbing the spot Peyton had let go of. Peyton tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I just don't know why you aren't telling her, it's not like she has feelings for him. Does she?" Peyton questioned, looking at Rachel intently.

"No, not that I'm aware of. It's just that-" She stopped abruptly. "I don't know why I'm telling you this." She confessed, biting her lip.

"I do. Because you know I still care about Brooke and I want to know why you're keeping things from her." Peyton replied.

"Well she's going to find out when he takes you to the party anyway." She continued when Rachel hadn't supplied a response.

"How do you know all this?" Rachel asked, staring daggers at her opponent.

"Derek talked about you all the time when he came to see me." She shrugged, then turned back to her locker.

"Well maybe he should learn not to trust you." Rachel muttered with a smile, the threatening tone lingering between them until Rachel caught up with Brooke.

-

Lucas and Brooke were sitting on the quad at breaktime.

"So are we still OK to go together?" Lucas asked tentatively. Brooke tilted her head and smiled.

"Definitely." She replied. He breathed out a sigh of relief and the two laughed gently.

"I'll probably have to exchange awkward conversation with Derek whilst we wait for you." He muttered. Brooke paused and looked confused.

"Derek? He's not taking me..." She replied slowly. Lucas nodded.

"I know, he's taking Rachel." Lucas replied as if she was an idiot.

"What?" She dropped her fork into her salad and turned to stare at Lucas.

Lucas ran a hand through his hair uneasily.

"Didn't you know? Peyton told me." Lucas confessed, then realized as soon as it slipped out that it was the wrong thing to say.

"Peyton told you?" Brooke repeated in a whisper. Lucas bit his lip and cursed under his breath.

"How did she know and I didn't?" Brooke wondered aloud. Lucas stayed silent.

Before he could reply, Brooke jumped up and stalked off without another word.

-

Peyton was in the locker room, her ear pressed to her phone.

"It's going fine, Derek, I promise" She muttered in a hushed voice.

She smiled at the response. "Honestly, you know what to do and so do I" She replied silkily, then stood up straight when she heard someone walk in.

"I've gotta go, I'll talk to you later." She said quickly, then hung up.

She swiveled round to come face to face with a certain Scott.

"Peyton, what are you doing here?" Nathan asked, visibly confused. Peyton shrugged and leant against the lockers nonchalantly.

"Just... needed a bit of me time." She mumbled, and Nathan frowned.

"You're acting strange, Sawyer." Nathan told her, opening his locker and grabbing his gym bag.

"How's Haley?" Peyton asked as he turned to leave.

"She's great. Ask her yourself, Peyton, you guys never hang out anymore." He replied shortly, not quite sure why he was feeling hostile towards her.

"OK, I'll catch up with her at the party." Peyton promised with a smile.

-

"Oh look, if it isn't the friend I'm not friends with anymore." Brooke muttered, sidling up to Rachel who was in the bathroom hogging the mirror.

"Move Brooke, your fat head is blocking the light." Rachel complained half heartedly, more interested in applying her eyeliner.

"How's the lovelife with Derek going?" Brooke asked sweetly, whilst staring daggers at the reflection of Rachel.

Rachel promptly dropped the eyeliner pencil and her cool. "What?" She asked. Brooke raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah, Lucas filled me in. What's going on with you, Rach?" She asked gently, putting a hand on her friends arm.

Rachel shrugged it off. "Nothing's going on, I don't need to tell you everything." She protested.

"You're right, but I'm kind of confused why you'd fill Peyton in and not me." A hurt look flitted across Brooke's face, and Rachel sighed.

"I didn't tell Peyton, Derek told her. Don't even get me started on how they know each other, I haven't asked him. Anyway, I just... I didn't tell you because I was funny about him at first. Didn't want to seem like a hypocrite." She admitted, folding her arms.

"Rachel, why would I judge you about that? We can't help who we fall for, just look at me going back to Lucas again and again."

"And also... I kind of got the vibe you were into him?" Rachel said, wishing she hadn't been bugged by Peyton's earlier comment.

"I'm not in to Derek!" Brooke almost laughed at the prospect. "He's a nice guy and I can see why you like him, but I think I'm too much in love with Lucas to ever like anyone else."

Rachel smiled, clearly relieved. "Oh, good. I don't know why I was worried. I'm way hotter than you." She said in a lighter tone, reverting back to their insults.

"Well, I'm happy for you, Rach. After the whole Cooper fiasco you deserve a nice hot guy." Brooke nodded then trooped out of the bathroom as the bell rang for third period.

-

Nathan and Haley let themselves into Deb's house and dropped their bags on the floor.

"Party tomorrow!" Haley squealed, grinning widely. Nathan watched his wife and couldn't help but laugh: her excitement was infectious.

"You should relax, Hales, you do realize you're six months pregnant, right?" He muttered, wrapping his arms round her, and stroking her stomach. She nodded and kissed his neck.

"I'm very aware of that, Mr. Scott. It's just nice to think everyone will be all together, having fun." She muttered softly, tucking a strand of honey blonde hair behind her ear.

"Maybe Peyton and Brooke will sort out their differences." She continued thoughtfully. Nathan stopped kissing her neck and she turned to face him, knowing something was up.

"What's wrong?" She asked, breaking free of the embrace and pouring herself a glass of juice.

"I bumped into Peyton earlier. She was acting shifty in the gym changing rooms." He revealed, and Haley raised her eyebrows.

"Maybe she's got a thing going with Whitey!" She joked, then pulled a face at the thought. Nathan laughed.

"Well, that girl's up to something, I'm sure." He replied, taking a swig of her drink. She rolled her eyes.

"I hope it's not got anything to do with Lucas. I know she liked him and all, but hearing Brooke talk about him when we had that tutor intervention made me realize how much she loves him. I know that feeling." She said, smiling at her husband. He grinned back and stroked her hair.

"Lucas wasn't quite so forthcoming about the subject, but I guess we're not really into talking about our feelings." Nathan added.

"I'm sure they'll be fine. And if not we can do our hand at matchmaking at the party tomorrow." Haley suggested, a glint appearing in her eye.

"I'm sure the party will be exciting enough without us trying to get those two together." He muttered, pulling his wife in close protectively.


	14. Speechless

_The sound of the monitor beeping was a constant reminder._

_They sat stonily, lost in their own thoughts._

_One of the girls jumped up when a Doctor rushed by._

_"Any news?" She asked desperately. The Doctor looked at her, taking in her fraught expression and the shadows beneath her eyes._

_"No change." He replied with a hint of sympathy. She rubbed her face with her hands and turned to the rest of the group._

_"Why is no one doing anything?" She asked, her mothering side kicking in as she worried about her friend. The sudden burst of anger got to someone._

_He stood up. "Just sit down." He whispered, kissing the side of her head. She leant against him, falling into his embrace._

_They both sat back down with the rest of their friends._

_None of them said it, but they were all thinking it._

_How could this happen?_

**I can see this Chapter has caused some confusion. Mwahaha, all will be explained. This is basically after the party, I thought it was a good idea at the time. Now i'm not so sure! Honestly, when i post the next chapter it will be the actual party so it should make more sense. This is kind of the after effects... but who has been hurt? )**


	15. This Was Definitely A Party

**I am sooooooooo sorry! i haven't updated in so long, if any of you still care here's the next chapter! It's pretty long so I apologize in advance but the Brucas bit was crucial so it took me ages. Thanks for the reviews of the last chapter though I know it was pretty confusing.**

**Reviews always welcome, and any speculation to what happened..?**

The music was blaring out of the speakers.

Mud was being walked all over the carpets.

Red cups full of the questionable punch was being knocked back quicker than the beats of the music.

More people were trampling in and the place was packed.

This was definitely a party.

Haley and Peyton stood in the kitchen, sharing stilted conversation.

"Seen Lucas yet?" Haley asked, taking a long sip of her tonic water. Peyton shrugged and tugged at her black shirtdress.

"No. I think he's coming later with Brooke" She replied neutrally, giving her friend a reassuring smile.

Haley grinned back and caught her husband's eye as he walked into the kitchen.

She wrapped her arms round him and they shared a tender kiss.

"Hey, Sawyer." Nathan smiled at Peyton who nodded back awkwardly. She could tell he didn't like her all that much, but it was all under the surface.

"Remind me why we wanted to have a party again." Haley asked wryly. Nathan chuckled and kissed her nose.

"Because we have an empty house and it's almost graduation. Plus, we're getting Brooke and Lucas together, aren't we?" He told her and she smiled.

"Ah yes, now I remember. I wonder when those two will turn up." Haley pondered, not noticing the expression on Peyton's face. Or maybe she had noticed and she chose to ignore it.

-

"Come on, we're gonna be late." Brooke complained in a childlike fashion to Rachel who was still upstairs. She checked out her appearance and smiled slightly. Her short black dress was understated and chic and she'd loosey tonged her hair without burning it which was always a good sign. She could tell that tonight was going to be awesome. She had decided just that afternoon that this would be the evening where she would confess her true feelings to Lucas and she was pretty sure he was going to feel the same way. She'd held back long enough and now she was finally ready to give her heart to him again.

"Eurgh, what are you wearing?" Rachel muttered, shoving Brooke out of the line of the mirror and pulled her green dress down even further so her black lacy bra was on show. Brooke laughed and gave her roomate a shove.

"I look classy, bitch. Besides, you do realize showing your underwear is so very nineties?" Brooke muttered with a smile, and Rachel just laughed.

"Actually, Derek loves it when I show off my body." She replied, a dreamy look appearing in her eye, which Brooke caught onto immediately."Hold on. You aren't falling for him, are you?" She asked sharply. Rachel snorted. "Like hell, am I!"She replied quickly, applying a coat of lipgloss and smacking her lips together.

Brooke put her hand on Rachel's arm. "I've seen that look Rachel. It's called falling for him. And it's a good thing." Brooke winked at her and carried on smoothing her hair down.

"I like him a lot, Brooke. But i'm not letting myself get hurt." Rachel admitted softly, pretending she was preoccupied with her reflection.

Brooke smiled slightly. "I remember saying that a lot. And it gets to a point when enough is enough." Brooke told her, and the two girls smiled at each other.

A knock on the door brought them out of their thoughts. Brooke was nearer to it so she shyly opened it. "Hi, Lucas." She smiled brightly, as he looked her up and down.

"Hey, Pretty Girl. You look beautiful." He told her, kissing her on the cheek sweetly. She grinned. "Thanks, Lucas. You scrub up pretty well yourself." She replied flirtily and he laughed.

"You two are sickening." Rachel told them matter of factly, breaking the moment they were having and not caring that she had done.

"And how are you, Rachel?" Lucas asked politely, trying not to show his slight dislike for the girl. Granted, she had changed for the better since befriending Brooke but he knew there was a darker side to her which was often disguised as bitchy comments. But still, as long as Brooke was happy then he wasn't going to start anything.

"Gagging for a drink if you must know. This party had better be good, I don't like spending time in Fatty's company." Rachel replied tartly.

Another knock on the door made Rachel smile and check her appearance one last time. "Hey, sexy." She muttered as she opened the door, giving Derek a long kiss. He smiled and kissed her back.

"Hi Brooke, Lucas." He nodded to the two of them who smiled back, though somewhat falsely.

"Right, let's go. We're already kind of late anyway.." Brooke muttered, grabbing her beaded bag and coat off the side and shutting the door behind them.

"Shotgun!" Rachel called out with a cheeky grin. Brooke laughed and shook her head. "No way, girly. Lucas is up front with me. But no sex in the backseat of my car." She joked and they all laughed and got in the car.

-

"So, not got a date?" Some sophomore wearing a backward baseball cap sidled up to Peyton. The disgust showed on her face.

"Yeah, he's just in the bathroom right now. You'd probably see him around. He's about seven foot, a football player..." She drawled, and he pulled a 'yikes' expression and exited stage left.

Where the hell was Derek? Peyton thought furiously. Probably pawing over Rachel. God, this had better be worth it.

"Hey, guys." Haley noticed as the foursome came through the door, both couples entwined and trying to walk at the same time. She walked over to them and collected their coats as a good hostess should. Nathan spotted the commotion and swooped to her rescue, taking the coats from her because she was clearly incapable of doing anything because of her pregnancy. She just smiled and planted a kiss on his shoulder.

"My hero." She whispered with a childlike grin, and he mirrored it. Rachel rolled her eyes and pulled an 'i'm going to be sick face' until Brooke slapped her arm.

"Be nice to them." Brooke warned in a low tone, whilst at the same time giving Haley a big smile.

"And how are you?" Rachel asked sweetly, after a gentle nudge from her friend. Haley forced a smile.

"Fine, as long as you stay away from me." She replied tartly, turning round and walking off.

"Lovely." Rachel muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Hey Brooke. Want to go for a walk?" Lucas offered, sidling up to her. She smiled back at him, liking the cute grin that was tugging at his lips.

"No! You have to hang around for a while first." Haley butted in, and they laughed.

"Fine. Raincheck on the walk. Come and find me later, Lucas. I'm going to circulate." She told him, pressing her body up to his and kissing him on the cheek. He touched the side of his face and watched her walk away, a soft smile appearing on his face.

"Hey, Peyton." He muttered, walking towards the blonde who was looking exceedingly pissed off. She lifted her gaze and stared daggers at him. "Hi." She replied sullenly.

"Woah, what's up?" He asked, backing away slightly. She ran a hand through her hair.

"Nothing. It's just this party sucks. If it doesn't liven up soon I'm going home." She promised, clutching her drink as if it was a lifeboat and she was coming off the Titanic. Lucas laughed awkwardly, hoping what she had just said was a Peyton style joke.

"Got your eye on anyone?" He asked casually, then stopped abruptly. Of course she did: him. Way to put your foot in your mouth, Lucas.

"Yeah, actually. He's pretty cute and I know he likes me back" She replied confidently, nodding in the direction of some nameless face, a Ravens player.

Lucas smiled a little too widely. "That's awesome, Peyton." He told her, taking a sip of his drink.

"Well, I'll see you later, Lucas." She excused herself and headed towards the hall where she got lost in the crowd.

"Luke, how's it going, man?" Nathan asked, slapping his brother on the back. Lucas shrugged.

"It's alright. This party is crazy, how's Haley holding up?" Lucas checked, staring as more people came flooding through the front door.

"Yeah she's good, just catching up with a few of the cheerleader's." Nathan replied, pouring himself a glass of water.

Lucas shot the glass a confused look. Nathan grinned in a childlike manner.

"If Haley's off alcohol so am I. We're going through this together: He explained, and Lucas nodded.

"Good for you, little brother." Lucas grinned, taking a sip of his own alcoholic beverage.

"Yo, Nate, fancy a game?" Skillz wandered into the kitchen, effortlessly balancing a basketball on his finger.

Nathan nodded and grabbed the ball off him. "Only if you're prepared to get whipped." Nathan challenged.

Skills and Lucas exchanged an amused glance. "Man, white boys should not smack talk!" Skills mused. "Want to join in, Luke?" He offered.

Lucas shook his head. "Nah, maybe later. Thanks, though" He declined and watched the two of them head out.

"Hey, have you seen Rachel?" Brooke sidled up to Lucas and blinked earnestly at him.

"I think she sloped upstairs with Derek." Lucas replied, putting an arm around her shoulder and gently stroking her back. She couldn't help but smile.

"OK, well I need to ask her something, but I'll knock before I walk in. Then we can go on that walk, OK?" She asked, and he nodded with a grin.

She squeezed past the huge crowd and made her way upstairs.

"Rachel?" She called out, not wanting to burst in on something that would probably scar her for life.

She knocked on each of the doors and opened them, coming to the bathroom at the end of the hall.

"You know the plan, right?" Someone muttered, and she had to strain over the musing downstairs to hear it.

"Of course, I'm not an idiot" A voice drawled back, but it was too quiet to be identified.

She badly wanted to listen, but that was the old Brooke. Actually, the old Brooke wouldn't have just listened, she would have then blurted out any gossip around the party, not caring who it may hurt in the process.

She came up to the second to last bedroom on the other side of the hall and dutifully knocked.

"Come in, big boy." A sultry voice called, and Brooke shut her mouth, horrified.

"Er, Rachel? I wish I could unhear that! Can I come in for a second?" Brooke asked.

"Brooke? Yeah, sure, come in."

"Are you clothed?" Brooke checked, fearing the answer would be no. She heard a laugh and smiled herself.

"Partially." Rachel replied wickedly. Brooke rolled her eyes and opened the door.

"Oh god, you're not planning on having sex in their bed are you? Because Haley doesn't take too well to it, believe me, I know..." Brooke started talking in a high pitched voice when she saw Rachel posing in just her underwear on the bed.

"Relax, I was just going to tease Derek a bit." Rachel replied, pushing her red hair back over her shoulder to complete the look.

"Way too much info there, but whatever. I might stay with Lucas tonight, so don't wait up." Brooke told her, winking as she slipped back out of the room.

-

"Beautiful night." Brooke commented, feeling safe with her arm settled in the crook of Lucas's. The two were strolling past the trees in the park.

"Beautiful girl" Lucas replied with a cheeky smile. Brooke couldn't help but laugh.

"Smooth." She muttered, staring out across the park. She held her breath for a moment, making sure she was ready for what she was about to do. And just so she could remember this moment: the moment her life would be complete. She would be his again.

"I love you, Lucas." She blurted out, but really she hadn't, she meant every word. But still, Lucas looked shocked.

He moved forward and held her so close she thought he was going to break her ribs. He breathed her in, burying his face into her hair.

She could feel him smiling.

"I've waited so long for you to say those words" He admitted, pulling back and looking her in the eye.

"I know. And that's what made me realize. I've felt it in my heart for so long. You hurt me, Lucas, and that will stay with me forever but I'm willing to have a fresh start. Because we need this." She told him, keeping his gaze and not letting it go. Not letting him go.

"I've never loved someone the way I love you. And screwing up those months ago and losing you forced me to change. I'm a better person, Brooke, and as long as I have you by my side then I always will be." He promised her, stroking her cheek like she was a fragile doll he was afraid might break.

She wordlessly nodded, and both of them leaned in and shared a tender kiss, his fingers still dancing on her cheeks.

Then he broke it off and pulled her closer.

"I love you too by the way" He told her, a soft laugh escaping his lips.

"Noted." She muttered, her eyes glittering slightly, though if anyone were to bring it up she would swear it was a trick of the light.

"Shall we head back?" Lucas suggested, entwining his fingers with hers. She nodded, biting her lip slightly.

They strolled back in companionable silence, settling back into each other's company.

As they turned the corner back into the street they noticed something was wrong.

All the lights of the house was on, but there was no music.

There was an odd stillness that was disconcerting.

That is until the ambulance made an appearance in its loud and scary glory.

The two of them ran up to the house, not minding all that much that they weren't holding hands anymore.

They came across a crowd by the door.

"What's going on?" Lucas shouted to no one in particular.

Brooke put her hand on his arm, just as anxious to find out what was going on as he was.

Nathan stumbled through the crowd to lead the ambulance men.

"It's Haley"


	16. Saved By The Sirens

**Helloooo! Remember me?? Sorry, its been a ridiculous amount of time since I last updated. School work has been taking top priority atm. Anyway, here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy! Thanks for the reviews of the last chapter: brucas224, -x-miawatt-x-, Princesakarlita441, BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE (amazing and dedicated), Brucas2006 ands whiters. You all rock. **

"Haley?" Brooke grabbed on to Nathan's arm more aggressively than intended. His eyes blazed.

"Get the hell off me. I just need to see my wife." He said, the fear so present on his face that both Brooke and Lucas took a step back.

"What happened?" Lucas asked steadily, moving aside to let the ambulance men do their job.

But no one knew.

A few minutes later they came back through with Haley unconscious on their stretcher, an oxygen mask over her face. Nathan was right there beside her, clutching onto her hand and muttering things under his breath. Brooke felt sure she heard him say 'always and forever, Hales, that's us..." but she felt wrong to listen in, so she turned to Lucas.

"We should follow them in the car." He said, his eyes fixed on a spot in between the crowd. Brooke knew him well enough to know that this was his way of not falling apart.

"OK, but we've all been drinking." Brooke reminded him gently.

"I'll drive." Derek stands in front of them, putting a protective hand on Brooke's shoulder.

"Wait, you were there, what the hell happened?" Nathan half shouted, his voice deepening as it got louder. Derek shook his head.

"Not now, man." He muttered, pushing past him and nodding for the others to follow.

They trooped behind him, wordlessly united by the confusion and tragedy that had befallen this night.

Nathan tapped his foot impatiently on the floor of the car, keeping his eyes fixed on the speedometer. "Can't you go any faster?" He asked in a low growl. Brooke leant forward and put her hand on Nathan's arm, trying her hardest to comfort him.

"Where are Rachel and Peyton?" Lucas asked, only just noticing that only Brooke, Nathan, Derek and himself were present in the car. They all shrugged wordlessly, none of them noticing Derek's knuckles go white as he gripped the steering wheel.

-

"We should go to the hospital" Rachel said hollowly, leaning on the banister. She glanced over at Peyton who was staring towards the bottom of the stairs, as if Haley's hauntingly still body hadn't been moved.

_"Hey, guys!" Haley made her way up the stairs and smiled at the three of them who were congregating around the top of the stairs. "Enjoying the party?" She asked sweetly, even managed to not glare at Rachel._

"Yeah, we should." Peyton grudgingly agreed. "I can't believe this happened." She whispered, her eyes hollow and empty. Rachel nodded in silent agreement, not moving.

_"It's great, Hales." Peyton smiled, clutching her plastic cup and watching Rachel and Derek wearily._

"They're going to ask questions." Rachel spoke, blinking back tears she would later deny

_"It looks like Brooke and Lucas are working things out." Haley smiled again, her childlike excitement at this prospect lighting up her face. Sweet Haley, always looking out for other people. Derek narrowed his eyes. "You seem to want those to be together." He muttered accusingly. Haley nodded. "Of course I do, they're meant to be together." She said as if it was a known fact. Derek didn't like this._

"I don't even know what happened." Rachel muttered, not noticing that Peyton was staying silent. "Me neither..." Peyton said to herself.

_"I think Nathan's calling you, Haley." Derek told her in a steely tone. She blinked, visibly confused, and turned to head back downstairs. But before she could take the first step Derek swiftly pusged her down. She tumbled quietly, clutching her stomach. She landed at the bottom like a rag doll, a knock to the head leaving her unconscious. _

It was a lie. They both knew what happened. They saw him do it. They just didn't know why.

-

The sound of the monitor beeping was a constant reminder.

They sat stonily, lost in their own thoughts.

Brooke jumped up when a Doctor rushed by.

"Any news?" She asked desperately. The Doctor looked at her, taking in her fraught expression and the shadows beneath her eyes.

"No change." He replied with a hint of sympathy. She rubbed her face with her hands and turned to the rest of the group.

"Why is no one doing anything?" She asked, her mothering side kicking in as she worried about her friend. The sudden burst of anger got to Lucas.

He stood up. "Just sit down." He whispered, kissing the side of her head. She leant against him, falling into his embrace.

They both sat back down with the rest of their friends.

Nathan clenched his jaw, a single tear falling from his steely blue eyes. He knew he should have been the one to ask, but somehow he couldn't.

None of them said it, but they were all thinking it.

How could this happen?

"Derek, tell me what happened." Nathan all but ordered. Derek sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"Look, can we do this later, when everyone has calmed down?" He asked in a patronizing tone.

Nathan's eyes blazed. "Calm down? My pregnant wife could die and I want to know who did this to her, so you'd better tell me right now!" He shouted, the raw emotion in his voice echoing along the corridors of the hospital.

A Doctor walked up to them and tactfully cleared his throat. "Mr Scott?" He asked, looking directly at Nathan. "You can go in and see her." He told him warmly.

"Is she going to be ok? Is she awake? What about the baby?" He asked in one breath. The doctor blinked and half-smiled.

"She's in a critical condition and has fallen into a coma. It's her body's way of reacting to such trauma. There has been some injuries to the head, and we are unable to tell how her child is doing." He informed Nathan, then quickly walked off, the sound of his shoes making a lasting impression.

Without a glance to the rest of them, he rushed into the ward.

-

"Derek?" Peyton clutched her phone as it began to ring. She tried to keep her voice low as she was cooped up in the bathroom of the Scott's house.

"Peyton, hey." Derek replied smoothly, sounding shockingly calm. Peyton sat up, not wanting to miss a word.

"What the hell is going on?" She asked, trying to sound in control.

"Haley's not doing too good. Nathan's going crazy." Derek told her in a matter of fact tone. Peyton ran a hand through her untamed curls.

"Why did you do it?" She asked in almost a whisper. That hadn't been part of the plan. That was so far from the actual plan that she had spent the last twenty minutes trying to convince herself that it had all been an accident and Derek hadn't meant to push her.

"God, I know, it was crazy. She's really unhinged and I think she has a real vendetta against our Haley. I just can't believe someone would do that." Derek replied, sounding upset and heartfelt. Peyton paused.

"What?" She asked slowly. "It wasn't Rachel, Derek..." She tried to tell him, as if talking to a child.

"I'm gonna call the police unless you can, I haven't said what's happened to the others. I wanted to sort it out with you first, this is a pretty huge deal." Derek continued, and she could hear him pacing in the background.

"Derek, I don't know what the hell is going on. You pushed her, both Rachel and I saw it. You know that what I agreed to was turning people against Rachel, but I didn't mean framing her for assault.. this is.. too much, Derek." She told him shakily, leaning her forehead on the side of the bath and sighing deeply.

"I know, but this way she's out of the picture permanently. You never liked her anyway. She stole your best friend" Derek reminded her softly.

Peyton closed her eyes and opened them again slowly. "That doesn't mean we can do this. Besides, you put Haley at risk. What if she loses her baby? What if she dies? What would that do to Nathan, to Lucas?" Peyton continued in barely a whisper.

"Look, hold it together, Peyton. This will all be Ok. We just need to get our priorities straight. As far as anyone is aware no one knows what has happened except the three of us. And it was Rachel. She was a bit drunk and she pushed Haley, maybe they even had harsh words over Nathan..." Derek told her, getting more elaborate as the story unfolded.

Peyton shook her head as it dawned on her. "You've really planned this, haven't you?" She asked, not wanting to know the answer.

"This is the only way, Peyton. Now tell me, do you love Lucas as much as I love Brooke?" He asked, knowing full well that she did.

She nodded wordlessly, as tears began to form in her eyes at the complete chaos of this entire situation. "Yes." She admitted hoarsely.

"Then you have to trust me and work with me. Because I promise you they will be ours"

-

"Peyton?" Rachel rapped on the door a few minutes later, her impatience getting the better of her.

"You've been in there a really long time." She complained, sighing loudly to make her point.

She heard the lock click and the door opened gently. Peyton stood there, the shadows under her eyes appearing darker due to the lighting.

"Are we gonna head to the hospital? Get that psycho out of there." She said aggressively, but Peyton didn't move.

"Come on, Peyton. What the hell is wrong with you?" Rachel frowned.

"I need to talk to you first." Peyton walked towards her, visibly shaking.

"What is it?" Rachel asked, suddenly taking her seriously and sitting down. It felt like a sitting down situation.

Peyton placed herself next to her on the Scott's bed, both feeling slightly guilty being there.

"I don't really know what happened, Rachel... but Haley's not doing well." She said, picking her words carefully.

Rachel nodded, then paused. "Wait, how do you know that?" She asked sharply, making Peyton squirm.

"Lucas called me." She blurted out without thinking.

"Oh yes, I'd forgotten about your boy stealing ways in all this drama." Rachel replied dryly, tossing her hair back slightly.

Peyton rolled her eyes. "In the grand scheme of things does that matter right now?" She replied reasonably.

But as she said it, she realized that it mattered a lot because the person she had become was worse than a boyfriend stealer.

She was about to lie to the police, to her friends. To herself.

There was a loud knock on the front door, pulling Peyton out of her thoughts.

Saved by the Siren.

Her stalling tactic had worked.

-

"I need some water." Brooke muttered, staring into the distance.

"No, I'll get it. Does anyone else want some?" Lucas asked, staring at the two stony faces before him.

Derek blinked and seemed to come alive. "No, man. Thanks though." He half-smiled at Lucas, who didn't bother returning it.

"I'll be back in a sec, babe." Lucas muttered to Brooke, squeezing her shoulder as he headed to the water cooler.

"She might die." Nathan's voice was hollow and empty, even emptier than his eyes. Brooke stirred and leant past Derek to clutch Nathan's hand. It felt cold.

"Don't say that, Nate. Our girl's stronger than we give her credit." She said, meaning every word.

"It was Rachel." Derek cleared his throat and announced. Brooke gave him an inquisitive look.

"What?" She asked, visibly confused. Derek sat up and looked at her.

"Rachel, she pushed her." He said calmly, almost casually.

"No, she wouldn't.." Brooke interjected softly, her eyes glistening.

Derek put his hand on her arm and she didn't notice. "She.." Brooke trailed off, having no words to say.

"I couldn't believe it either. She's... she's not who either of us thought. She argued with Haley about Nathan-" Derek explained, his voice low and deep.

Nathan jerked his head and stared Derek dead in the eye. "Are you saying this is my fault?" He asked, getting angry.

"Nate, no.., not at all..." Brooke told him in a soothing voice, shooting Derek a warning glance.

"Well Peyton called the Police" Derek told them, as Lucas silently joined them, handing Brooke the cold beverage.

"What?" He asked, putting a protective arm around Brooke.

"It was Rachel." Brooke whispered, leaning into Lucas. He kissed the top of her head as absorbed the information.

He stayed silent and lost in his thoughts. He wanted to comfort Brooke because he knew she didn't believe it, and he didn't either. But a part of him did.

The sound of footsteps approaching dragged them out of their individual cocoons.

"Hey, guys." Peyton said quietly, sitting down on one of the orange seats next to Nathan.

"How's Hales?" She asked no one in particular.

"Not good." Nathan told her numbly. "Is Rachel..?" He asked, his jaw clenched.

"Yeah.. yeah, the police came round. They'll need statements and stuff, but I was a witness." She replied, fiddling with the cuff of her hoodie.

"I can't believe my girl could do something like this." Derek muttered, running a hand through his blonde hair.

Brooke stayed silent, wondering what the hell had happened.

To Rachel.

To her Tutor Girl.

To all of them.


End file.
